Issuu

Spring 2026

Marty

Two Forests, One Conservation Legacy

321 acres protected in Town of Schroon

Phyllis Korn, born in Queens, New York, and raised in central Florida, was introduced to the Adirondacks in the 1940s when she attended a summer camp on Paradox Lake. That was the beginning of what would become a lifelong bond to the area, further strengthened by annual visits to the summer home her parents purchased on nearby Schroon Lake.

Today, the Adirondacks are an extension of who Phyllis is. The same is true for her husband, Marty. In 1972, when their three children were young, the couple purchased land of their own, located west of Interstate 87 in the Town of Schroon. They relish time spent there with their children and six grandchildren who range in age from 19 to 30.

Marty and Phyllis reached out to the Adirondack Land Trust to explore conservation options for their land in anticipation of one day passing it along to the next generation.

In December 2025, they donated two conservation easements to the Adirondack Land Trust protecting a

combined 321 acres. The newly protected areas are close to each other and adjacent to tracts within the Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest, part of the state Forest Preserve.

Key features include steep slopes with rocky acidic outcrop habitat near the 2,194-foot summit of Beech Hill, in addition to wetlands and tributaries that help to protect the water quality of Schroon Lake. Beech Hill is in the foreground of a northwesterly view from Schroon Lake toward the High Peaks Wilderness.

Marty and Phyllis Korn have transformed their reverence for nature and deep connection to place into lasting conservation. “We hope our actions today inspire future generations to embrace these values and perpetuate what we have preserved,” Marty says.

By keeping 321 acres of forests intact, they are also enhancing the larger, connected landscape’s resilience to threats like climate change, invasive species, and habitat loss. n

and Phyllis Korn are pictured here walking on their property with Land Protection Manager Bill Martin.

NEW YORK’S ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION FUND AT WORK IN THE ADIRONDACKS

Grant support made possible through New York’s Environmental Protection Fund helped the Adirondack Land Trust and community partners to complete major improvements to the popular Cobble Hill trail in Lake Placid.

New York State’s Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) supports initiatives across the state to safeguard clean air, clean water, healthy forests, and healthy communities. It benefits our work in the Adirondacks in many ways, including land protection (for example, new Forest Preserve, productive farmlands, and ecologically significant privately owned forests), as well as community projects. Just before the snow arrived this winter, the final step in a

community-inspired and Adirondack Land Trust-led project at Cobble Hill in Lake Placid was completed when signage was installed along a popular trail, redesigned to better accommodate first-time hikers and be more sustainable. The project, pictured here, was supported in part through the New York Conservation Partnership Program, which is an EPF-backed initiative of the Land Trust Alliance and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. n

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Stephen H. Burrington, Chair

David Henle, Vice Chair

Elizabeth McLanahan, Vice Chair

Timothy Fritzinger, Treasurer

Anne C. Stuzin, Secretary

Robert C. Andolina

David Brunner

Shaun Gillilland

Christine L. Goodale, Ph.D.

Bradley R. Grainger

Lisa Guide

Heidi Kretser, Ph.D.

Joe Martens

Amy McCune, Ph.D.

Catherine McGraw

Peter S. Paine, Jr.

Cassandra Prenn-Vasilakis

Donella Rapier

Holly Rippon-Butler

Robert J. Trainor

Scott M. Warner

Advisory Directors

Vinny McClelland

Amy Vedder, Ph.D.

Chairs Emeriti

James C. Dawson, Ph.D.

Harry Groome

Edward W. McNeil

William L. Paternotte

Meredith M. Prime

Charles O. Svenson

NEXT GENERATION COUNCIL

Adeline Clayton, Co-Chair

Daniel Galvin, Co-Chair

Melissa Cascini, Secretary

Emma Ticknor, Committee Liaison

Josh Cook

Evan Foster

Maya Fuller

Jess Grant

Amber Herzer

Olivia Jobe

Lura Johnson

Carlie Leary

Richard Marrano

Abigail Omaña

Danny Papes

Renee Seacor

Charlotte Staats

Ian Thompson

Gabrielle Ursin

Naishaly Vélez Galán

Brooke Wise

STAFF

Mike Carr,

Executive Director

Kimberly Corwin-Gray

Associate Director of Philanthropy

Theadora Duane

Intern (2026)

Samantha Duchaine

Office Administrator

Olivia Dwyer

Communications Specialist

Becca Halter

Stewardship & GIS Manager

Chris Jage

Conservation Program Director

Bill Martin

Land Protection Manager

Connie Prickett

Director of Communications

Derek Rogers

Stewardship Manager

Susie Runyon

Finance & Operations Manager

Joe Scrimenti

Conservation Operations Specialist

Mary Thill

Grants Manager

Aaron Thomas

Farmland & Stewardship Specialist

Nancy Van Wie

Director of Philanthropy

Kathy Woughter

Philanthropy & Outreach Coordinator

Adirondack Land Trust 2861 NYS Route 73 PO Box 130, Keene, NY 12942 (518) 576-2400

info@adirondacklandtrust.org adirondacklandtrust.org

Photo: © Nancie Battaglia

Photo: ©Nancie Battaglia

A Gift Inspired by a Lifetime of Wonder

Polly Young’s photos of the Adirondacks could fill a gallery wall: A sun-dappled trail winding through a hemlock forest. The tumbling waterfalls and rapids of surging rivers. Glassy lakes that reflect the cliffs of a towering peak and wild shorelines of brilliant gold and scarlet autumn foliage. Polly stepped into these scenes with her Nikon N6006 camera between 1990 and 2004, bringing home memories on 35mm film that she then preserved in glossy, richly hued prints. Decades later, these images strengthen a viewer’s connection to place and stir curiosity about a wild landscape.

Before her death at age 88 in 2023, Polly lived in Rome, New York. She was a music teacher who made many trips to the Adirondacks enjoying short hikes, broad vistas, and long and winding drives. While we know little else about her life, we are deeply honored to be entrusted with her legacy. Polly made a generous gift to the Adirondack Land Trust through her will, directing a portion of her estate to what she believed to be its best use: preserving the Adirondacks.

Polly is an Adirondack Visionary, our designation that gratefully recognizes donors who help ensure the conservation of Adirondack forests, waters, farms, and wild places through planned gifts. Polly’s images indicate that she

enjoyed protected lands and waters via trails with wide, level surfaces of packed soil or crushed stone that gave her access to nature even as she advanced in age. After thoughtful consideration, our board designated a portion of Polly’s bequest to support accessible wildland trails at Glenview Preserve in Harrietstown and High Meadow Preserve in Lake Placid, which helped to leverage a $3 million grant toward this work. When these trails are completed and open to the public, visitors will encounter panoramic vistas, diverse habitats, and vibrant forests that will no doubt find their way into many more camera rolls.

What we see through Polly’s camera shows her eye for the striking features, botanical patterns, and seasonal changes that make a treasured place feel new on every visit. She was intentional about preserving the Adirondacks on film, just as we are committed to ensuring that the landscape where she found inspiration and awe remains unchanged for future generations. n

For more information on how to make a planned gift to the Adirondack Land Trust through your will, living trust, life insurance policy, stocks, real estate, or other estate plans, please contact Associate Director of Philanthropy Kimberly Corwin-Gray at kimberly.gray@adirondacklandtrust.org.

Securing Town Land in Willsboro

In 2024, when a 68-acre parcel on Willsboro Point was listed for sale, town leaders saw an opportunity for their community that may never come around again. At their request, the Adirondack Land Trust acted quickly to purchase the land as a first step toward preserving open space.

The parcel features 950 feet of natural shoreline on Lake Champlain’s Willsboro Bay, as well as open fields and shrublands. The benefits of conserving the land include water quality protection, securing future opportunities for public waterfront access, and maintaining the scenic character of Willsboro Point.

In October 2025, the town purchased the parcel from the Adirondack Land Trust, covering the $840,000 price entirely with grant funding from the Lake Champlain Basin Program.

Putting the pieces and partners into place to secure the land is now part of former Willsboro Supervisor Shaun Gillilland’s legacy. Current Supervisor Tracie McGill looks forward to the planning and implementation steps ahead for Willsboro’s newest municipal parkland. The Adirondack Land Trust applauds these community leaders for their commitment to open space and community health and is proud to have played a role in securing this important land. n

The land protection projects featured in this newsletter are shown here.

To date, the Adirondack Land Trust has protected 31,745 acres in 11 counties and 45 towns. Additionally, we have partnered in the protection of another 400,000+ acres through shared operations with The Nature Conservancy between 1988 and 2016.

Schroon (see p.1)

Westport

Willsboro

New York State

Adirondack Park

Locator Map

Future Nature Preserve Additions in Westport

The Adirondack Land Trust’s 378-acre nature preserve on Halds Road in Westport features a prominent mountain with a rocky outcrop that rewards hikers with views of the High Peaks Wilderness, Lake Champlain, and picturesque farmland. The forests here provide havens for more unique and rare plant species than typically found in Adirondack interior forests. Round-lobed hepatica, trout lily, purple trillium, and other wildflowers announce the arrival of spring with a splash of colorful blooms, thanks to the calcium-rich soil in which they grow.

To further conserve this special area, the land trust in October 2025 purchased 72 adjacent acres of predominately forests and wetland. We intend to add the bulk of the acreage to the nature preserve while setting aside a smaller, developed area to be sold on the open market for continued residential use.

Additionally, in May 2025, a neighboring landowner donated 80 adjacent acres to the land trust that will also be added to the preserve in the future.

This popular preserve receives thousands of visits per year. In recent years, we’ve invested more than $50,000 in improvements to make the trails more sustainable and

enjoyable. As we strive to make all our nature preserves welcoming to more people, we are in the process of renaming this wonderful preserve to give it a distinctive name, separate from the mountain it was initially named after. For now, we are calling it our Westport Preserve and looking forward to engaging with community members to find a new name that represents the essence and character of this site. Visit our website to learn more: adirondacklandtrust.org/ westport-preserve. n

purchased for addition to our

Opposite: We worked with the town of Willsboro to secure land on Willsboro Point that features open fields, shrublands, and natural shoreline.

Above: Trout lily and purple trillium at our nature preserve in Westport.

Below: Land recently

Wild About Wildlife

Virtual events and a wildlife tracking field trip brought us closer to the hidden lives of wild neighbors this winter. Intrepid trackers ventured outside in single-digit temperatures with naturalist Elizabeth Lee, finding fur and bones, perhaps from prey, and mink tracks along a nearby river.

In January, Mighty Earth Rewilding Director Renee Seacor, also an Adirondack Land Trust Next Generation Council member, presented virtually on the restoration of catamounts across the northeastern United States, and what this could mean for forests, wildlife, and communities.

In February, Kate Cleary, Ph.D., of the Algonquin to Adirondacks Collaborative (A2A), shared the story of Alice the moose, who in the early 2000s walked from the central Adirondack town of Newcomb to Algonquin Provincial Park in Canada. The moose’s successful journey inspired the formation of A2A, which focuses on understanding and facilitating wildlife movement across a complex landscape between two protected areas.

For virtual event recordings and a Winter Wildlife Tracking 101 video, visit the Adirondack Land Trust’s YouTube channel.

2026 Intern for the Future of the Adirondacks

Theadora Duane, a senior at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania, has been selected as the Adirondack Land Trust’s 2026 Intern for the Future of the Adirondacks. Theadora will graduate in May 2026 with a bachelor’s degree in environmental science. She also minored in studio art and has experience developing environmental curriculum and hands-on activities for preschoolers, school-age children, and college students. Theadora’s project for the Adirondack Land Trust will focus on researching and developing education materials to connect our conservation work with community interests.

Sam Duchaine Joins Land Trust Staff

In fall 2025, the Adirondack Land Trust welcomed Sam Duchaine as our office administrator. Sam brings experience working in local food systems and an education in environmental studies to her role providing essential support for the land trust’s day-to-day operations, administration, and human resources management. “As a lover of wilderness and outdoor recreation with a farming background, it’s incredibly fulfilling to join an organization with a mission to protect the land these activities rely on,” Sam says. Outside of work, Sam enjoys growing food and herbs, mountain biking, running, rock climbing, hiking, and every kind of skiing.

Powerful Together

Every contribution to the Adirondack Land Trust makes a lasting difference for Adirondack lands, waters, and communities. Visit adirondacklandtrust.org/give to learn about different ways to give, including:

o Credit Card, PayPal, Venmo

o Check

o Give Monthly or Quarterly

o Matching Gifts

o Gifts of Stock

o IRA Gifts

o Include the Adirondack Land Trust in Your Will

LET’S MEET UP!

Visit adirondacklandtrust.org/events to learn more about events and field trips

WILDFLOWER HIKE

Westport Preserve, Halds Road, Westport Sunday, May 10, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

See spring ephemerals in full bloom and take in panoramic views on this outing in the Champlain Valley led by naturalist Audrey Hyson.

MOTH NIGHT POP-UP

Westport Preserve, Halds Road, Westport June

Here’s your chance to see moths up close after dark. Sign up for email updates to hear when our stewardship team identifies ideal conditions for this pop-up event.

YOUNG PROFESSIONALS PORCH SOCIAL

Keene Thursday, June 25, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

The Adirondack Land Trust’s Next Generation Council invites interns, seasonal staff, and young professionals in their 20s and 30s to gather at our Keene office for refreshments, giveaways, and corn hole!

LEARN 10 BRYOPHYTES

High Meadow Preserve, Lake Placid Sunday, June 28, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Enjoy a sneak peek of High Meadow Preserve and get to know the small, primitive plants that carpet Adirondack forests with botanist Dan Spada. Offered in partnership with the New York Flora Association.

ADIRONDACK LAND TRUST SUMMER TOUR

Community Center, Newcomb Thursday, July 16

Dean Farm, Stony Creek Thursday, July 30

Join us to celebrate summer in the Adirondacks and get updates on our conservation work. Each event will be at a unique venue, offer optional field trips, and include complimentary refreshments.

Our Mission

To forever conserve the forests, farmlands, waters, and wild places that advance the quality of life of our communities and the ecological integrity of the Adirondacks.