Adirondack League Club

Every August, my family packs up the car with suitcases, food, and fishing rods and drives four hours to Little Moose Lake. This is the main lake of the Adirondack League Club and it's been a second home to me since I was a baby. When I was seven years old, I kayaked for the first time without anyone's permission and the strong wind pushed me farther out into the middle of the lake until my dad had to come save me. When I was eleven, I got to hold my new born baby cousin for the first time out on the dock. When I was thirteen, my parents caught my older cousins and I using swear words like they were a new language. This lake is the setting of a million memories which are recounted at dinner tables and family gatherings for the rest of the year. The Adirondack League Club has provided me with a certain consistency and reliability in my life. No matter how much I grow or change, camp stays the same and waits for me to return.

It wasn't until I was much older and gained a spot at the grownup's dinner table that I realized how much more the Adirondack League Club provided. The club has three guiding principles: 

1. The preservation and conservation of the Adirondack forest and the propagation and proper protection of fish and game in the Adirondack region.

2. The establishment and promotion of an improved system of scientific forestry.  

3. The maintenance of an ample preserve for the benefit of its members for the purpose of hunting, fishing, rest, and recreation. 

As much as members utilize the club to fish and swim and relax, members also lead and participate in committees dedicated to preserving the land or managing game or fish. For example, my dad loves to fish and is involved in the fishery research and management of the club. While it is easy to take fault in private clubs for reserving land for only its members, the money from membership fees goes to preservation and many environmental concerns. Privatized lands also reduce the traffic that damages the ecological balance. Throughout the club, there are no ATVs or snowmobiles and few lakes allow motorized boats. I'm proud of belonging to a club that's main goal is to protect the Adirondacks. 

References: 

http://www.alcclub.org/