New York State has purchased the Berry Pond Preserve in Warren County in order to protect water quality in Lake George and its tributaries. The State purchased the 1,436-acre property from the Lake George Land Conservancy with $1.7 million from the Environmental Protection Fund.

The Berry Pond Preserve lies within the Warren County towns of Lake George, Lake Luzerne and Warrensburg, and includes the headwaters of West Brook, a major tributary to the southern basin of Lake George.
The Lake George Land Conservancy purchased the preserve in January 2008 as a part of the West Brook Conservation Initiative, which is designed to reduce sediments and pollutants in West Brook which runs into Lake George Million Dollar Beach.

Connecting nearly 10,000 acres of protected land, the Berry Pond tract links Prospect Mountain, lands owned by The Nature Conservancy, the Department of Environmental Conservation sustainable forestry easement lands and other open space land owned by the village and town of Lake George. It includes trails used by the South Warren Snowmobile Club.

“Protecting this incredible asset is good for the environment and for the economy,” NYS State Senator Betty Little said in announcement of the deal sent to the press. “This acquisition will help ensure a watershed critically important to the health of the lake is protected for generations to come.”

The tract is included in the state’s Open Space Conservation Plan as a priority conservation project.