Published: May 15, 2008 12:14 pm         

Club receives national honor

Staff Report

The Lake and Valley Garden Club has been honored as the winner of the 2008 Founders Fund Award presented by The Garden Club of America (GCA) for developing a buffer strip garden in Lakefront Park.

``It’s a huge honor for the Lake and Valley Garden Club,’’ said club president Elaine Bresee. ``It’s just overwhelming for us to get this honor. We all worked very hard. The Garden Club of America is all about conservation and that’s what this is all about.’’

The buffer was designed to correct a water run-off pattern that dumps tons of debris and soil into the lake and creates an environment for invasive marine life and unwanted aquatic vegetation. Native species have been used to demonstrate how deep rooting plants can be practical as well as beautiful. The project, club members said, could become a national model for the preservation of lake and river shorelines. BOCES students built the handicapped accessible boardwalk and grew and planted some of the species used in 2007. Technical assistance was provided by Cornell University, SUNY Biological Field Station, Otsego Lake Association, and Lynn Marsh. The Boy Scouts volunteered their time to help mulch.

According to the club, Lakefront Park provides a tremendous educational opportunity, not only for the three local townships surrounding Otsego Lake, but also for the hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the globe who visit Cooperstown annually.

Applications for this award were submitted by member clubs within the GCA to its headquarters in New York City.

Three finalists were selected by the Founders Fund Committee, and subsequently each of the 197 member clubs across the U.S. cast a vote to determine the winner and runners-up.

As winner of the Founders Fund Award, the Lake and Valley Garden Club will receive $25,000.

According to club members, the money will help fund materials needed to finish the garden, such as plants, soil, mulch, more boardwalk, stone, edging and benches.

Work will begin on Phase 3 of the project soon.