LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating the 125th Anniversary of the Lake
George Association

WHEREAS, New York is a magnificent and scenic State with spectacular
natural resources, drawing people from across the Nation and the entire
globe; and
WHEREAS, Lake George is known as the Queen of American Lakes, and as
one of the cleanest and clearest lakes in the country, provides a pris-
tine venue for outdoor recreation and promotes good, healthy living, and
is host to over eight million visitors annually, attracting over 600
million tourism dollars each year; and
WHEREAS, The members of the Lake George Association (LGA) have worked
together to protect, conserve and improve the beauty and quality of the
Lake George Basin for 125 years; and
WHEREAS, The Lake George Association was the first, and is the oldest
lake association in the United States, and as such was the first to
provide a non-point source pollution program for the Lake in the late
1800s, by helping farmers clean-up pigpens and livestock yards that
drained into the Lake, and by encouraging sophisticated sanitary facili-
ties and community sewage treatment plants as lakeside populations
expanded; and
WHEREAS, The Lake George Association was the first to re-stock the
Lake with popular fish species, for the enjoyment of anglers everywhere,
and to recognize the need to protect the health of the Lake George fish-
ery, beginning In the late 1880s and continuing to this day; and
WHEREAS, The Lake George Association established the first buoy system
(Aids to Navigation) in the Lake in 1909, and patterned the system after
that used by the U.S. Coast Guard, and continued to plan, purchase,
maintain and place buoys on the Lake until 1969, when the New York State
Conservation Department-Division of Motor Boats (Now the Department of
Environmental Conservation) assumed responsibility; and
WHEREAS, The Lake George Association advanced proactive management by
government to protect the Lake's water quality and influenced state
leaders, beginning in the 1940s, to undertake the first series of tech-
nical studies of the Lake, and in the 1980s, during rampant development
of subdivisions and condominiums, ensured that effective storm water
controls and wastewater treatment systems were included in development
plans; and
WHEREAS, The Lake George Association, in 1947, celebrated a long-a-
waited and fought for verdict by the New York State Supreme Court
regarding lake levels, requiring a commission to supervise maintenance
of water levels between 4.0 and 2.5 feet at the Roger's Rock gauge
between June 1 and October 1, and thereby protecting the interests of
dock-owners, shoreline property owners and those who navigated the Lake;
and
WHEREAS, The Lake George Association, in the 1990s expanded its
programming to include active and participatory educational programs for
lake users, including but not limited to, a Floating Classroom, serving
1000 students and visitors each year; and
WHEREAS, The Lake George Association has overseen 100-plus lake-saving
projects to stabilize eroding stream banks and shorelines, reclaim ponds
for sediment retention, enhance wetlands, install roadside storm water
catchments, and dredge deltas; and
WHEREAS, All New Yorkers are called upon to be good stewards of our
State's lakes, waterways and natural environment, and to take responsi-
bility for their preservation for the benefit of generations to come;
and

WHEREAS, In conjunction with the 125th Anniversary, the Lake George
Association is hosting an open meeting at the Lake George Club, on
August 20, 2010, to bring together municipal leaders, families, business
people, recreational enthusiasts, environmentalists and all people who
love Lake George, to celebrate, recognize and commend the efforts of the
thousands of LGA members who, over the years, have increased the
public's awareness and understanding of Lake issues and have actively
worked to preserve the purity of Lake George waters for future gener-
ations to come; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 125th Anniversary of the Lake George Association,
noting, in turn, the Association's long unyielding commitment to excel-
lence; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the Lake George Association.