Lake George Land Conservancy Protects 53 Acres in Bolton — A Quiet Win for Clean Water

Some of the best news around Lake George does not arrive with a splash. This one came quietly, on a back road in Bolton — and it will keep paying off for generations. The Lake George Land Conservancy has permanently protected 53 acres of forest and wetland in the hills above Northwest Bay, locking in cleaner water and unspoiled views for one of the Adirondacks' most beloved lakes.

What exactly was protected

The newly conserved land sits along Federal Hill Road in the Town of Bolton, in the hills that rise above Lake George's Northwest Bay. It is not a single open field but a working piece of the landscape: roughly 53 acres divided by the road, including a three-acre wetland and several buffered streams.

Those streams are the quiet heroes here. They feed into the main branch of Indian Brook, which in turn flows down into Northwest Bay and the lake itself. Protect the land around the streams, and you protect everything downstream of them.

Why it matters for Lake George's water

Lake George is famous for its clarity — water clean enough to see deep below the surface. That clarity is not an accident. It depends on the forests and wetlands in the surrounding hills, which filter rainwater and runoff before it ever reaches the lake.

When undeveloped land near a tributary is paved, cleared, or built on, sediment and nutrients wash downhill and cloud the water. By keeping these 53 acres in their natural state, the Conservancy is essentially keeping a natural water-treatment system switched on, free of charge, forever. For a lake that drives the region's tourism, recreation, and quality of life, that is a meaningful long-term win.

A piece of old Bolton history, too

There is a human story folded into this land. Until the recent purchase, the property was part of Federal Hill Farm — also known historically as the Ralph Bixby Farm. It was the birthplace of Lillian Tuttle, who went on to marry St. Louis industrialist W.K. Bixby; the farm was later purchased by her son Ralph in the 1920s.

Conserving the parcel keeps a tangible link to Bolton's agricultural past intact, rather than letting it disappear into subdivision lots.

How the deal came together

The protection was made possible by the success of the Lake George Land Conservancy's 2025 Land Campaign, paired with funding from a Water Quality Improvement Project grant awarded and administered by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

In other words: community support plus state investment, working together. It is a reminder that conservation wins are rarely the work of one person or one check — they are built from many.

Quick facts

• Acreage protected: about 53 acres in the Town of Bolton, NY

• Location: along Federal Hill Road, in the hills above Lake George's Northwest Bay

• Key features: a three-acre wetland and buffered streams feeding Indian Brook

• Conserved by: the Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC)

• Funding: the LGLC 2025 Land Campaign plus a NYS DEC Water Quality Improvement grant

• Why it matters: cleaner water and protected views for Lake George, permanently

Want to help keep Lake George clear?

Stories like this one happen because people show up — as donors, volunteers, and advocates. If you love the lake, the Lake George Land Conservancy is one of the most direct ways to give back, whether that means supporting a campaign, hiking one of its preserves, or simply spreading the word about wins like this.

Here is to clean water, quiet forests, and the neighbors working to protect both.

See you around the lake,

Greetings From Lake George

Cover photo: Lake George viewed from Black Mountain, via Wikimedia Commons.