Written by T. Lyle Ferderber, with contributions by Peter Walker, board members with the Glade Run Lake Conservancy
If you're thinking about supporting a local non-profit this Giving Tuesday, December 1, 2020, please consider supporting the Glade Run Lake Conservancy!
ABOUT
The Glade Run Lake Conservancy (GRLC) was founded in 2011 and achieved its status as an official non-profit organization in 2012. It was and continues to be supported by members (who pay annual dues) as well as other community supporters.
Lake reflection (Glade Run Lake). Photo courtesy of David Brooke.
Our organization as well as Glade Run Lake is reliant on you to help fund important projects including trail development efforts and watershed protection tasks. Additionally, expenses not often thought about, but still very important to fund, include board and liability insurance, mailing costs, and website hosting fees (among other things). All of this combined is what comprises the work of the GRLC, and the reasons why we need your continued help in order to continue doing what we do!
Note: The GRLC board members are not paid for their service, but rather are volunteers dedicated to and passionate about Glade Run Lake. As such, we rely on the goodness of our community and its members to keep our organization going.
The following photo slider shows each of the current board members of the GRLC. In order from left to right: Siggy Pehel (President), Becky Miller (Vice President), Carol Jakubovic (Secretary), T. Lyle Ferderber (Treasurer), David Fowler, Susie Salter, Susan Acon, Amy Jewitt, Roy Weitzell, Peter Walker, Karlee Holmes, and Lisa Busa.
GRLC IN ACTION
If you're not already familiar with the work of the GRLC, you might be wondering what it is that we do every month. Well, here's a quick rundown:
Barred owl at Glade Run Lake. Photo courtesy of David Brooke.
We create as much habitat as possible for fish, bats, birds, and four-legged critters drawn to the edges of the lake.
We monitor the lake's water quality and compare it against established baselines in order to detect any potential contaminants or problems before they get out of hand.
We work with local landowners to preserve land and the feeder streams around the lake.
We maintain the new walking trail that so many people enjoy, especially in these challenging times during COVID-19.
We support the boy scouts who have created so many great Eagle Scout projects.
We are remodeling the old concession stand (located near the boat launch) into a brand new picnic pavilion.
Additionally, the return of the lake (after being drained for several years) means that both girl and boy scouts as well as first responders have a place to learn and practice their water skills.
Bog bridges recently built by an Eagle Scout now allow hikers to keep their feet dry along wet areas of the walking trail at Glade Run Lake.
WHO SUPPORTS THE GRLC?
Members and supporters of the GRLC include a variety of people, including individuals like a young girl scout who saved her pennies and gifted the GRLC over $200 after hearing of the lake's plight.
Or the young man, Evan Kremer, (pictured on the early GRLC brochures) who scoured the dry lake with his dad, saved and cleaned fishing lures found, and had his own garage sale, all in an effort to support the lake. His hard work resulted in a gift of hundreds of dollars to the GRLC!
Evan Kremer worked hard to donate hundreds of dollars to the GRLC, funds that would help bring the lake back after it had been drained in 2011.
Families also support the GRLC in a special way. Over the years, folks that have grown up with the lake as part of their daily lives have given gifts to the GRLC, for example, in lieu of flowers as a way to memorialize loved ones who have passed. Giving a gift that lives on is an ongoing remembrance of a loved one.
Additionally, families both near and far that have enjoyed Glade Run Lake helped the GRLC grow in order that government agencies ultimately took notice and provided needed funds to restore the lake. (See "Lake History" for more details on the story of Glade Run Lake.)
Businesses in our community have helped sponsor fundraising events like the GRLC's 10K race series and Oldies concerts. They have helped sell coupon books and tickets to the concerts. They have also put their names next to our cause to restore and enhance the lake and the lands around it. We will be asking local businesses to help us again in the coming months as we work to protect the watershed that creates the waters of the lake.
In these stay-at-home days, and even in normal years (pre-COVID), people often shop on Amazon.com for holiday and special occasion gift purchases. With this in mind, an easy way to support the GRLC (and other charities of your choosing) is to use Amazon Smile as your way to make a purchase. In doing so, a small amount of your purchase is sent to the charity of your choosing. Please consider selecting GRLC as the charity you support when you shop on Amazon Smile. Simply go to www.smile.amazon.com and choose "GRLC".
THE FUTURE OF THE LAKE
The watershed that feeds Glade Run Lake has recently seen the inevitable encroachment of housing development(s) coming into the area, which is something the GRLC feels may have negative consequences for the lake and watershed. In being proactive, the GRLC is working to help foster environmentally-friendly development and secure conservation easements on critical land near the lake to preserve the lake and its water quality for decades to come. Learn more about our efforts related to conservation easements.
Glade Run Lake time-lapse video, courtesy of David Brooke.
PLEASE GIVE TO THE GRLC
On this Giving Tuesday, December 1, 2020, the GRLC asks that you help us in any way you can! Below are several options to give to us monetarily:
Make a one-time donation. (Click the yellow "Donate" button at the top of our website's homepage.)
Become a monthly donor and give a little each month. (Click the yellow "Donate" button at the top of our website's homepage, and make sure to check "Make this a monthly donation.")
Become a GRLC member and give annually at one of the designated membership levels ranging from $10 to $1,000.
Shop at Amazon Smile and choose the GRLC as your chosen charity.
If you are unable to provide a monetary donation at this time but are interested in assisting the GRLC by giving of your time and skills, please fill out our "Skills and Experience" survey.
Also, please consider sharing your fond memories and experiences spent at the lake with us. If you are willing, we would love to include your story on our Blog page. Contact us for more details and to share your story.
Finally, please join us as we look forward to the years ahead for our children, grandchildren, and their children. What we have done and hope to still do will be appreciated by those yet unborn.
Thanks for your support in this season and all seasons!
"Blessed are old people who plant trees, knowing that they shall never sit in the shade of their foliage. Those who plant trees, knowing that only others will enjoy the shade, are public benefactors."
Brown creeper on tree at Glade Run Lake. Photo courtesy of Tim Morrison.