People Protecting the Lake
Since 1885.
Lake George
Association – P.O. Box 408 – Lake George, NY 12845
(518) 668-3558 – Fax
(518) 668-4702 – www.lakegeorgeassociation.org
July 20, 2009
For
Immediate Release
Contact: James Hood
Communications Coordinator
Lake George Association
Phone: (518) 668-3558
LGA receives $368,045 grant FOR Lake saving work
Lake George, NY – The Lake George Association is proud to announce that the Helen V. Froehlich Foundation has awarded the 124-year old conservation leader a grant of $368,045 for progressive lake-saving initiatives. This is the sixteenth consecutive award from the Froehlich Foundation.
“We are pleased and honored that the trustees of the Helen V. Froehlich Foundation have so generously considered us for funding again this year,” stated Walt Lender, the LGA’s Executive Director, upon receiving the news.
Nearly half of the total grant award will provide funding for the LGA’s Lake Saving Projects. These “shovel in the dirt” projects provide tangible solutions to threats to Lake George’s water quality by preventing sediment and pollutants from entering the lake.
According to Lender, the funding provided by the Froehlich Foundation grant will be used as a local match to state and federal funding for several projects in the watershed.
“The funds in the grant award, leveraged with our members and donors generosity, put us in a strong position to receive significant funding from public sources. This strengthens and extends the LGA’s ability to take on more projects to conserve Lake George for future generations.”
The LGA’s popular Floating Classroom program will receive $20,000 to help teach lake science and watershed management to area students. This season sees the Floating Classroom back on the water with the LGA’s purchase of a new 40’ Corinthian Catamaran.
Over 1,000 area students benefit from the LGA Education and Outreach programs, which are provided free of charge through grants like the one provided by the Froehlich Foundation.
The LGA has received funding in this grant for three projects aimed at helping towns and property owners become better stewards for lake protection.
“The LGA has restructured its Land Use Management program with a new vision aimed at assisting municipalities and homeowners,” said Lender. “We are going to provide resources and information to towns and residents to employ innovative practices to protect Lake George.”
As part of the revamped program, the LGA is using its own building and grounds to promote lake-friendly living ideas. LGA staff is also working with homeowners, businesses and landscapers to demonstrate the water quality benefits achieved from installing vegetative buffers, reducing lawn size, switching to low- or no-phosphorus fertilizer, using rain gardens to control stormwater runoff, composting, and using native plant species in landscaping.
The Froehlich Foundation has also provided funds necessary to continue and to expand the LGA’s water quality monitoring programs. Through the LGA’s Education & Outreach program, many volunteers around the watershed are providing vital data by taking water samples and completing surveys at several areas on the lake, as well as in a number of streams that feed into Lake George.
“The data collected from these monitors will help identify water quality trends and point out possible pollution hot spots that may require remediation,” stated Emily DeBolt, LGA Education and Outreach Coordinator. DeBolt runs the volunteer monitoring programs for the LGA.
The 16 consecutive grant awards from the Froehlich Foundation represent over $5 million dollars worth of improvements to Lake George and the watershed.
With assistance from the Froehlich Foundation, the LGA’s Lake-Saving Projects program was launched successfully in 1994 and has expanded and improved with each passing year. The goal of these projects is to protect Lake George’s exceptional water quality by minimizing or eliminating negative impacts through stormwater management, stream corridor restoration and lake-friendly land-use practices.
“Our members’ dollars go only so far in funding our efforts to protect Lake George,” said Lender. “These funds will enable us to accomplish more projects on the ground and provide expanded programs around the lake.”
Established in 1885, the Lake George Association is America’s first lake association and a pioneer in the conservation movement. The LGA’s core programs include: Lake-Saving Projects, Education and Outreach Initiatives, GIS Mapping and Applications, Technical Assistance for Land Use, Lake Awareness, Invasive Species, and Advocacy.
The LGA spends around $800,000 per year to directly carry out its mission. In addition to the funding from the Froehlich Foundation, the LGA relies on financial support provided by its membership, as well as a number of fundraising events like the LGA’s annual golf tournament and its summer celebration.
The LGA is a not-for-profit membership
organization of people interested in working together to protect, conserve, and
improve the beauty and quality of the Lake George Basin. Interested in becoming an LGA member? Contact the LGA at (518) 668-3558 or check
out LGA on the web at www.lakegeorgeassociation.org.
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