Accomplishments

What we’ve accomplished throughout the years

Donations from Friends

  • Food collections for local food banks and Parks food collections MLK Day
  • After the Fire through Gansevoort Fire Dept.
  • Honorary and memorial contributions for deceased Friends, spouses, newborns and retirement
  • Books for Little Free Libraries
  • Other local nonprofit organizations – North Country Wild Care

Funding and Hands-On Work

Purchased AND:         

  • Built owl enclosure with added features specific to each owl
  • Built snake enclosure
  • Built 5 raised beds
  • Re-built and painted the wooden benches around the beach house and concession stand
  • Built the bird wing span item on the side of the NC
  • Re-built the bridge between MLSP and back pond
  • Installed 4 Little Free Libraries
  • Installed 2 boot cleaning stations, including signage
  • Established, revived and planted 4 gardens at MLSP,
  • Established 3 gardens at Grant Cottage and started a wildflower field at Grant Cottage
  • Repair Ice Fishing equipment
  • New filters, lights and other equipment for the turtles
  • Glass display cases in the Nature Center
  • Taxidermy animal mounts
  • Laptop for personal observatory dome
  • BBQ grill for events
  • Installed dog waste stations
  • Built all new shelving in the Friends room
  • Purchased new refrigerator
  • NatureFest funding average $4k for each event, 20 years running
  • TV in the Warming Hut
  • Built and installed Osprey Nest
  • Built the bird blind at Mud Pond
  • Installed several benches for ILMPD
  • Purchase, install split rail fence at boat launch
  • Donate, renovate planter bed in front of concession, 3 sisters garden
  • Supply multiple hot water beverage urns and insulated beverage cambos
  • Build and install arch lighting for bridge during holiday luminary walks
  • Serve thousands of hot dogs and accompaniments
  • Regular landscape maintenance throughout the park by green team
  • Design, build, maintain website
  • Maintain Facebook
  • Maintain database (Little Green Light) and Mailchimp
  • Luminary Walk arches, warming hut treats
  • Memorial Plaque and bench program, 14 to date

Community engagements/Outreach

  • Volunteers worked a booth at SGF Community Day
  • Tabled at Skidmore Environmental conference
  • Tabled at Eastern Mountain Sports
  • Tabled at Wilton Preserve events
  • Work booth space at Adirondack Expo weekend in March
  • Canoe Planter Project – cleaned, transported 8 canoes to local youth sites; paid for and provided all supplies for painting engaged the community, schools and clubs to paint canoes for the Canoe trail
  • Table the community booth at Saratoga Race Course
  • Established a benches and plaque program
  • Help organize and assist scout projects lean-to, foot bridge,

Grants

  • Bridge – PTNY
  • Split rail fence – PTNY
  • Kayak racks – PTNY
  • Kids crafts – Stewart’s Shops Holiday Match
  • ADA approved playground equipment – PTNY
  • ADA approved beach mats and adaptable wheelchair – PTNY
  • Winter hats and gloves for Schenectady Fishing Club – Stewart’s Shops Holiday Match
  • 4 Little Free Libraries
  • Raptor enclosure in nature center – Stewart’s Shops Holiday Match
  • Board of Directors capacity building, strategic planning, marketing

NYS Park and PTNY Engagement

  • Attend Park Advocacy Day in Albany, multiple years
  • ILMPD
  • PTNY Leadership
  • PTNY Regional Friends Meetings

Collaboration and Support provided to Park Staff

  • Ice Fishing
  • Conservation Field Day
  • NatureFest
  • ILMPD
  • PRISM invasive training and invasive removal in several areas of the park
  • Woolly Adelgid inspections in the park
  • Trail Stewards
  • Trail work
  • Full Moon hikes
  • First Day hikes
  • Astronomy hikes and presentations
  • Post park events on Friends website, Instagram and Facebook
  • Post Park calendar on Website
  • Docent at the Warming Hut on weekend and winter park events
  • Collect books and restock the warming hut library and the Little Free Libraries
  • Outreach for volunteers to help in the park from Skidmore, SGFHS, local scout troops, church groups, local civic groups
  • Outreach and tabling at local events, Saratoga PLAN, Wilton Wildlife and Preserve, Grant Cottage,