The Future of Lake George Protection Starts Here
Register
Registration is now closed for this event. We look forward to seeing all attendees on Saturday, August 8 at the Carriage House.
Join the Lake George Association (LGA) on Saturday, August 8 at the Fort William Henry Carriage House for a free public event focused on the future of Lake George water quality protection.
This Annual Meeting brings together leaders in clean water science, policy and advocacy, and represents the first major public opportunity to engage with LGA’s new Five-Year Strategic Plan.
Details:
Saturday, August 8, 2026 | 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Fort William Henry Carriage House | Lake George, NY
Why This Year's Event Matters
This Annual Meeting is more than a yearly update. It is a defining moment for the future of Lake George.
Attendees will gain insight into the most pressing threats facing water quality today, the solutions already making an impact and the policies needed to protect the Lake for generations to come.
- Hear from leading voices in freshwater science and policy, including New York State DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton and Pacific Institute Co-Founder & published author Dr. Peter Gleick.
- Learn how the LGA's new Strategic Plan will guide the next phase of Lake George protection efforts.
- Understand the connection between clean water, environmental integrity, public health and regional economics and politics.
- See how partnerships and community action are driving measurable results across the watershed.
The 2026 LGA Annual Meeting represents the first opportunity for the broader community to engage with the LGA's Strategic Plan, together, and understand the role we all play in protecting Lake George water quality and clarity.
Who Should Attend?
This event is designed for anyone who cares about the future of clean water, including:
- Lake George residents and community members.
- Business owners and tourism leaders.
- Local and state policymakers.
- Scientists and environmental professionals.
- Advocates and supporters of water quality protection, locally and statewide.
Commissioner Lefton's keynote will focus on what New York is doing to protect Lake George, alongside other freshwater bodies throughout the State.
Featured Keynote Speaker: Amanda Lefton
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Amanda Lefton brings a diverse mix of federal, state and private experience to her role.
She previously served as the Director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) within the Department of the Interior. Under her leadership, BOEM developed and implemented an ambitious federal offshore wind program creating a new industry of family supporting jobs and generational opportunity. Her collaborative approach brought together various stakeholders to responsibly manage the nation’s critical offshore energy and mineral resources.
Prior to her role as BOEM Director, Lefton served as the First Assistant Secretary for Energy and Environment for New York, where she led the State’s environmental and climate initiatives overseeing a portfolio of executive agencies including the DEC.
She has also worked for The Nature Conservancy in New York as the Deputy Policy Director and climate mitigation lead, the Rochester Regional Joint Board of Workers United and the New York State Assembly and New York State Senate.
Lefton comes to the DEC from RWE, one of the world's leading players in the offshore wind sector, where she was the Vice President of Offshore Development, U.S. East.
Featured Keynote Speaker: Peter Gleick
Dr. Peter Gleick is an internationally recognized water scientist, author and co-founder of the Pacific Institute. He is one of the leading voices on freshwater resources, sustainability and water policy.
His work has redefined water from the realm of engineers to the world of social justice, sustainability, human rights and integrated thinking. He developed one of the earliest analyses of the consequences of climate change for water resources, the earliest comprehensive work on water and conflict and defined basic human needs for water and the human right to water – work that has been used by the United Nations and in human rights court cases.
Dr. Gleick is a MacArthur Fellow, an elected member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 2018 he was awarded the Carl Sagan Prize for Science Popularization.
Dr. Gleick's keynote will explore the future of freshwater, the growing challenges facing water systems and the role of science and policy in protecting clean water at local and global scales.
“The honest name for our lovely blue planet probably should have been Water, since it covers most of the globe. And as Peter Gleick makes clear in this sweeping, unprecedented, and positively necessary new book, our chances for a workable future depend on how seriously we take the oceans, lakes, rivers, and aquifers that surround us—indeed, that fill our own cells. This book will change your outlook in deep and motivating ways.”
—Bill McKibben
Dr. Gleick's Latest Book: "The Three Ages of Water"
In The Three Ages of Water, Peter Gleick guides us through the long, fraught history of our relationship to this precious resource.
Water has shaped civilizations and empires, and driven centuries of advances in science and technology—from agriculture to aqueducts, steam power to space exploration—and progress in health and medicine.
But the achievements that have propelled humanity forward also brought consequences, including unsustainable water use, ecological destruction, and global climate change, that now threaten to send us into a new dark age.
We must change our ways, and quickly, to usher in a new age of water for the benefit of everyone.
Drawing from the lessons of our past, Gleick charts a visionary path toward a sustainable future for water and the planet.
At the Annual Meeting, Dr. Gleick will be signing copies of The Three Ages of Water from 8-8:45AM. Copies will be available for purchase.
“To understand water is to understand ourselves, our origins, and what lies ahead for us. Peter Gleick tells the story of water in an accessible way that not only warns us about the dangers we are approaching, but also provides us with a vision for a hopeful future.”
—Greta Thunberg
Representing the collective Voices of Lake George, the LGA works at the intersection of science, solutions and advocacy to protect water quality for future generations.
Join the Future of Freshwater Conservation
For 141 years, the Lake George Association has protected the Queen of American Lakes through science, solutions and advocacy.
Now, as challenges evolve and new water quality threats emerge, the path forward requires stronger policy, deeper partnerships and a more engaged community than ever before.
Join us on August 8 and be part of the next chapter of protecting Lake George water quality, and freshwater statewide.