The Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) has launched a campaign to raise $9 million to protect more than 1,200 acres of forests above Lake George – including the summit of Pilot Knob Mountain.
Pilot Knob Mountain has belonged to one family for roughly sixty years and is one of the largest properties in the south basin still in private hands. Its 517 acres is commonly but inaccurately believed to be part of the Adirondack Forest Preserve, which it borders.
The mountain is one of several peaks that comprise a massif ranged along the east side of Lake George, lying south of Buck Mountain and near the LGLC’s Schuman Preserve. Its profile, which rises 2,159 feet above sea level, is a prominent part of a view shared by boaters, island campers and residents of the lake’s near and west shores.
“We are grateful to the landowners of Pilot Knob Mountain for being good stewards of this land for many decades, and for working with the LGLC to keep it protected, forever,”
said Mike Horn, the Lake George Land Conservancy’s executive director. “To the family’s credit, they preserved it, rather than developing it, which they could have done at any point.”
As many as sixty houses could legally have been built on the property, said Horn.
Horn said the LGLC is under contract to purchase Pilot Knob Mountain on July 31, 2025.
“We’re making a huge commitment to protect these important properties; in fact, the 2025 Land Campaign is the single largest fundraising effort in the Lake George Land Conservancy’s 37-year history,” said Horn.
Of the $9 million needed to achieve the campaign’s goals, $7.3 million has been raised already. That sum includes grants that award the LGLC two dollars for every one dollar raised by the organization.
“By leveraging grants from New York State and private foundations, every dollar that is donated to the LGLC will generate three dollars in spending to protect the land that protects the water,” said Horn. “To me, that is a very powerful statement about our commitment to land protection.”
The remaining $2.4 million needed to achieve the campaign’s goals must be raised by the end of summer, 2025, said Horn.
The projects to be funded by the campaign include the protection of multiple parcels in Bolton’s Northwest Bay and Indian Brook watersheds.
Collectively, the 700 acres to be protected will provide critical protection of stream corridors, wetlands, steep slopes and forested lands that clean and filter water, reduce downstream sedimentation and prevent pollution from entering Lake George, the organization stated in a press release.
The purchase of one of these properties, a 207-acre parcel comprising a large wetland and pond supporting a diverse plant ecosystem, was completed on April 22, 2025. Other Bolton properties are under contract, the organization stated.
“The LGLC has committed to increasing our pace of land conservation to secure Lake George’s future, and we have a wonderful slate of high-impact projects,” said Mike Horn. “We can only complete these important projects with the generous support of those who love Lake George and who want it to remain clean and beautiful for future generations. I hope that anyone with an interest in the future of Lake George will join our 2025 Land Campaign.”
A live, public Zoom presentation on the 2025 Land Campaign and the projects to be funded airs on Wednesday, June 11 at 7 pm. The presentation will be recorded and available for viewing throughout the campaign. To register, visit LGLC.org.
To benefit the campaign and help protect Pilot Knob Mountain, the Lake George Club will host a fundraising dinner on Tuesday, June 17. The event is open to the public. Tickets are $300 per person. The dinner will feature wines from Cakebread Cellars, which will be paired with courses created by the Lake George Club’s executive chef, Desmond (Dez) Smith.
Anyone wishing to attend the dinner may make a reservation by calling the Lake George Club’s main office at 518-668-5734 or emailing reservations@thelakegeorgeclub.com. To donate to the Lake George Land Conservancy’s 2025 Land Campaign, visit lglc.org/2025Campaign, send a check to LGLC, attn: 2025 Land Campaign, PO Box 1250, Bolton Landing, NY 12814 or call 518-644-9673.
