Courtesy Lake George Escape
Lake George Escape, a popular campground destination, is celebrating its completion of a $1 million wetland remediation project, restoring and enhancing wetlands throughout the approximately 175-acre campground.
The restoration is part of a large stream and wetland complex in and around Lake George Escape on the shores of the beautiful Schroon River.
Campground officials said the restoration project includes an overhaul of natural habitats, the replacement of bridges, a significant number of plantings around the shoreline and a back-to-nature experience around the Schroon River.
The grounds are located at 175 East Schroon River Road, Diamond Point. The owner-operator is Lifestyle Equity Properties.
The parkwide wetland restoration and remediation project will also provide kayaking and fishing opportunities to outdoor nature enthusiasts.
Wetlands around a campground had been filled in and had their water source curtailed 50 or so years ago.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held in September on a footbridge over a portion of the wetlands at Lake George Escape Campground. The footbridge contains a wide culvert which allows trout in the Schroon River to access spawning areas as well as keep water flowing freely to help preserve the ecological health of the five acres of wetlands within and around the 175-acre campground property.
The project was undertaken in cooperation with the Army Corps of Engineers, the Adirondack Park Agency, and the state Department of Environmental Conservation. One aspect of the project is the transfer of 14 acres of the campground’s land to the state.
Planning and negotiations for the wetlands remediation project took about seven years, officials said. The work started in early March and was finished prior to trout spawning season, which typically begins in October.
The campground assistant general manager Don Smith said the restoration of wetlands and the new larger culverts would help trout flourish. His father, also named Don Smith, worked for DEC for 32 years.
Approximately 350 feet of shoreline along the Schroon River were also restored to remedy many years of erosion, and new ecologically-friendly pathways to the river were created.
Designing the project was Cedarwood Engineering Services of Warrensburg and North Creek. The firm contracts work for the towns of Warrensburg, Chester, Johnsburg, and many other area entities.
“For 50 years we’ve hosted families, generation after generation, and that does something to the ground and the Schroon River, and we decided to give back a little bit of what she’s given us,” said Lake George Escape Campground General Manager Patrick Welton.
Equity Lifestyles Regional Director Jonathon Goldberg praised Cedarwood Engineering, specifically environmental engineer Michael Martin, for the quality of the design work.
The restoration is part of a large stream and wetland complex in and around Lake George Escape on the shores of the Schroon River.
The parkwide wetland restoration and remediation project will also provide kayaking and fishing opportunities to outdoor nature enthusiasts, officials said.