Headwaters Campaign

Lake associations across the Adirondack Park play a vital role in safeguarding our precious lakes and waters from potential threats. This work is made possible in part through support provided by local and/or county government, as well as a variety of grant sources; however, the vast majority of this work is funded in large part by lake association members and carried out by contractors or volunteers.

Through its partnership with the Raquette Lake Preservation Foundation, the Adirondack Council recognized the growing need for additional support to these groups. The Council approached the Northern Forest Canoe Trail to partner up on writing a grant to fund a “Headwaters Campaign” that would provide staffing and advisory oversight to lake associations in the Raquette River Headwaters. That grant was awarded and funding will run through October 2024.

Over the next 18 months, the Headwaters Campaign will support the region in moving towards a watershed-focused planning approach. One of the primary goals by the end of the project is to collectively develop a watershed management plan for the Raquette River Headwaters reflective of the interests of all the stakeholders involved in this campaign.

Some of the longer-term outcomes of the Headwaters Campaign include:

• Continued staffing similar to the Headwaters Coordinator to directly support lake associations;
• Improved watershed-scale partnerships between lake associations and other local stakeholders;
• Increased financial and organizational stability of lake associations in the region;
• Increased membership rates, public engagement and volunteer capacity for lake associations;
• Improved public understanding of good stewardship practices, including responsible recreation and tourism, invasive species spread prevention (Clean, Drain, Dry), and Leave No Trace;
• Regular forums for information sharing and to improve collective understanding of threats to watershed health, as well as collective solutions.

If successful, the Headwaters Campaign could provide a blueprint for other Adirondack headwater communities to follow in moving towards a more collective, watershed-focused approach to planning.