LOCALadk Magazine

44 Spring 2020 LOCALadk Magazine LOCALadk nah Grill builds movie sets for a living. For her, relaxation at the island usually involves building stairs or replacing floors. Descendants of the Graves family were also excited to see activity on Eagle Island. Henr y D. "Buz" Graves, Jr., already a summer Adirondack resident, joined the board and pitched in. He spread the word to his cousins. Gwendolen Shupe had grown up hearing stories about Eagle Island, and when invit- ed, came in from California to meet her cousin Buz and see the island for the first time. She has since formed close ties to the organization. EI was eager to be part of the local Adirondack community. They joined the Upper Saranac Lake Association, and reached out to Adirondack Architectural Heritage (A ARCH) and His- toric Saranac Lake. The latter two groups have brought his- toric preser vation tour groups out to see the Great Camp complex. In 2017, artists from Saranac Lake Plein-Air spent a day painting, photographing, and drawing on the island. The Wild Center hosted a fundraising concert in 2018. During the Girl Scout years, there had been little or no public access to Eagle Island. Many lake residents had never seen the buildings up close. In late summer 2016, EI invited the public to two "Open Island" events. Boat transportation from the mainland was provided, and visitors toured the is- land. In the Dining Pavilion, they browsed historic photos and copies of the original architectural drawings. And of course, there was singing in the Lodge. The popular event drew a mix of local residents and alumni, and has been repeated each summer since. Rehabilitation of the historic buildings required heavier lifting and more expertise than volunteers could provide. Small grants were obtained from the Preser vation League of New York State, the Cloudsplitter Foundation, and the National Trust for Historic Preser vation. EI applied to the North Countr y Regional Economic Development Council for Historic Preser vation funding, and in 2016 received a grant for Phase I work. The Main Camp area of Eagle Island became a construction site, with building repairs and new water and septic system installation all in progress. Throughout the ongoing work, the EI board continued to focus on their goal: What else was needed before they could open camp? Eagle Island supporters were impatient. Origi- nal hopes for overnight camping in 2019 were dashed as it became clear that the water systems and kitchen would not be ready. What about day camp? The board of health gave its approval. An enthusiastic supporter provided grant funding for a camp director position, and Katrina Deardon was hired as EI's second full-time employee. She immediately moved to Saranac Lake and began the planning. Eagle Island Camp reopened during the summer of 2019, welcoming day campers for two one-week sessions. Katrina established a new play area on the Mariner's Rock peninsu- la, with easy access to the beach, keeping campers well out of the way of the ongoing construction. Swimming lessons, kayaking, and sailing were part of each camper's day. Staff included several alumni, including former counselors who returned to teach and inspire a new generation of EI sailors. The EI organization believes that it is vitally important to provide opportunities for youth to experience the outdoors, away from screens and classrooms, and that economic barri- ers should not limit access. About a third of the camper fam- ilies in 2019 requested and were granted financial assistance for Day Camp. The summer of 2020 will be the busiest yet. Eagle Island Camp will welcome campers for six weeks: Two weeks of all-gender Day Camp, two weeks of girls' Overnight Camp, two weeks of Family Camp, and two Women's Weekends. Construction work continued over the past two winters, with contractors riding snowmobiles out to the island. Camping is currently limited to the tents and cabins near the Main Camp area, as the wash houses in the outer areas have not yet been refurbished or reconnected. "Our big chal- lenges now are to fill camp, and to raise the funds needed to expand the operation," said Executive Director Michelsen. EI got some great news in recent months, receiving both Fed- eral and New York State grant funding for Phase II of the his- toric rehabilitation project. It has been a whirlwind four and a half years since EI began the Eagle Island project. While there is still a lot of work to be done, Eagle Island supporters are well on their way to en- suring that "children may always play" on Eagle Island. Erika Bailey

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