Love Your Lakes & Lands Event - June 11th, 2026

New Love Your Lakes and Lands event scheduled for June 11 at Dewey Mountain

SARANAC LAKE – Local environmental organizations have banded together to kick off summer with an afternoon of interactive learning about how to responsibly enjoy Adirondack lakes and lands.

The first-ever Love Your Lakes and Lands event will be held from 4-8 p.m. on Thursday, June 11, at Dewey Mountain Recreation Center in Saranac Lake. It is part of New York’s Invasive Species Awareness Week, which is June 8-14, but many topics besides invasive species will be included.

The free, family friendly event was organized by staff from the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP), Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation, and Paul Smith's College Adirondack Watershed Institute with support from New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission's (NEIWPCC's) Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP).

The event is an expansion of the Sips and Science: Love Your Lakes event that was held at the Hotel Saranac on Oct. 28.

Love Your Lakes and Lands will feature more than 10 organizational demonstrations, and there will be hands-on activities including a guided bird walk, how to prepare for a safe paddle, and, for those who bring their tacklebox, a lead sinker check and replacement station.

There will also be a boat wash station and boot brush station present so people can see firsthand what they can do to prevent the spread of invasive species. Three presentations in the lodge will include native seed harvesting and aquatic invasive species.

For those looking to do more, there will be people on hand who can recommend volunteer opportunities, including the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program’s Forest Pest Hunters and Lake Protectors programs.

Food and drink will be available for purchase from vendors.

“It was important for us to create an event that offered a wide range of activities that empower people to learn about and responsibly enjoy our lakes and forests,” said Shaun Kittle, event co-organizer and APIPP Communications Manager. “Whether you have a passing interest in environmental stewardship or you want to learn about how you can give back to the Adirondacks, there will be something here for you to see or do.”

“Many people in the Adirondacks love their lakes,” said Annie Arnold, event co-organizer and Watershed Educator at Paul Smith's College Adirondack Watershed Institute. “This educational event is about turning that love into action through stewardship and protection.”

"The Loon Center is happy to be a part of an event that brings the community together,” said Dense Silfee, event co-organizer and Director of Education and Communications at the Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation. “So many of our local organizations are really striving for the same thing - responsible recreation and mindful stewardship of these natural spaces we all love. The more we support each other and invite our community members in, the more we will accomplish toward reaching those goals."