In view of the mountains that inspired Northeast Wilderness Trust’s (NEWT) founders to create the organization more than 20 years ago, Board members and staff gathered at Heaven Hill Farm in Lake Placid, NY on Saturday, July 13 to receive the Adirondack Council’s “Conservationist of the Year” award. President and CEO Jon Leibowitz accepted the award on behalf of the Wilderness Trust’s Board and explained the special place the Adirondack Park holds in NEWT’s history and mission.

“The Wilderness Trust’s founders’ chief inspiration just over two decades ago was right here; it was the Adirondack Park and the principle that underpins it: trust in wild, untrammeled nature. This ecocentric worldview drives every decision we make, animating every dimension of our work.”

 From Left to Right: Adirondack Council (AC) Rewilding Advocate John Davis, AC Executive Director Raul J. Aguirre (AC), NEWT Board Member Emily Bateson, NEWT Conservation Director Bob Linck, NEWT President and CEO Jon Leibowitz, NEWT Board Chair Brian Tijan, NEWT New York Land Steward Janelle Jones, NEWT Vice President of Advancement Nicie Panetta, NEWT Senior Fellow Tom Butler, and AC Board Chair Sarah Hatfield.

Leibowitz went on to note that, fittingly, the Park was the site of the Wilderness Trust’s first conservation project: Split Rock Wildway, a series of protected parcels stitching together a vital wildlife corridor between Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains. Today, the Wilderness Trust safeguards more than 10,000 acres in the area, including at properties like the Grasse River, Moriah, and Eagle Mountain Wilderness Preserves, and via conservation easements as part of the Wildlands Partnership program.