The Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) has been awarded a $20,000 matching grant from the Cloudsplitter Foundation to be used to leverage new donations for land protection efforts within its Indian Brook/Northwest Bay Brook Conservation Initiative.

The Cloudsplitter grant award is expected to be put towards the acquisition costs of the 159-acre Wing Pond property, purchased by the LGLC in December of 2016. This property, which is within the scope of the Conservation Initiative, includes 15 acres of sensitive wetlands, 750 feet of stream corridor, important habitat for birds and wildlife (including critical rattlesnake breeding habitat), and four-season public recreational opportunities.

The Conservation Initiative focuses on a 7,500-acre complex of wetlands, streams and undisturbed forests that are within the subwatersheds of two of the Lake George’s largest tributaries—Indian Brook and Northwest Bay Brook. Sensitive lands within this area are critical to filtering millions of gallons of water before it enters the lake each year.

According to LGLC, to date the organization and its partners have protected 2,384 acres and 4,150 feet of shoreline within this area, an investment of more than $2 million. All of these properties include wetlands and stream corridors, and allow for public recreation, including more than 15 miles of recreational trails.

This is the first grant the LGLC has received from the Cloudsplitter Foundation, which works primarily to improve the environment, both physical and cultural, in the Adirondacks and to make life easier, healthier, and more rewarding for the people who live there.

For more information about the Lake George Land Conservancy, visit their website.

Photo of Indian Brook/Northwest Bay Brook courtesy LGLC.