New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens was at the summit of Prospect Mountain in Lake George Wednesday morning to announce a state land acquisition.
New York State has purchased more than 2,460 acres of land in the town of Bolton in Warren County from the Lake George Land Conservancy. The land includes Cat and Thomas Mountains and East River Road parcels. Commissioner Joe Martens says the 1.8 million dollar purchase by the state protects about 46 percent of the Lake George watershed.
Parts of the tract are already open to the public with existing hiking trails. Town of Bolton Supervisor Ron Conover says state acquisition of the land will aid further development of a regional recreation master plan.
The property was purchased from the Lake George Land Conservancy. Executive Director Nancy Williams says it obtained the land in 2004 from a private owner.
The announcement of the land purchase by Commissioner Martens comes at the same time that Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the state has closed on the second phase of acquisition of the former Finch Pruyn lands from the Adirondack Nature Conservancy. Executive Director Mike Carr explains that 9,300-acre tract is adjacent to the Lake George parcel and shares a boundary line.
Funding for the purchase comes from the state Environmental Protection Fund. The Department of Environmental Conservation will develop management plans for the parcels and work with the Adirondack Park Agency to determine appropriate land classification.
