Awards

Several awards are given out at the NYSFOLA annual conference.

Lake Tear of the Clouds Award

Lake Tear of the Clouds in the Adirondack Mountains.  
Photo courtesy of Carl Heilman II

The Lake Tear of the Clouds Award is NYSFOLA’s highest honor. This award, named for the “highest” lake in the state, is awarded when appropriate (and often without prior notification) to a person who has shown the highest dedication to lakes and watersheds, assisted NYSFOLA in its mission and produced exceptional performance in his or her field of endeavor.

Recipients:

  • 1996 – New York State Governor George Pataki
  • 1997 – Lyle S. Raymond, Cornell Cooperative Extension at Cornell University
  • 1998 – United States Congressman Sherwood Boehlert
  • 1999 – Steve LaMere, Adirondack Ecologists
  • 2000 – Donald Keppel, NYSFOLA Board of Directors, Findley Lake Association
  • 2001 – Scott A. Kishbaugh, P.E., New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
  • 2002 – Mary Arthur Beebe, Lake George Association
  • 2003 – United States Congressman James Walsh
  • 2004 – Dean Long, NYSFOLA Board of Directors and Dr. Willard Harman, SUNY Oneonta Biological Field Station
  • 2005 – Robert Johnson, Cornell University
  • 2006 – Robert D. Hennigan, Professor Emeritus, SUNY ESF
  • 2007 – Dr. Steven W. Effler, Upstate Freshwater Institute
  • 2008 – Dr. Bruce Gilman, Community College of the Finger Lakes
  • 2009 – David Wright, Esq., NYSFOLA General Counsel
  • 2010 – Scott A. Kishbaugh, P.E., New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
  • 2011 – Bob Rosati – NYSFOLA Board of Directors, Melody Lake Association
  • 2012 – Nancy Mueller, NYSFOLA Manager & CSLAP Coordinator
  • 2013 – Paul Lord, Otsego Lake Association, SUNY College at Oneonta
  • 2014 – Dr. Jay Bloomfield, NYS DEC Division of Water
  • 2015 – Dr. Gregory Boyer, SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry
  • 2016 – MaryGail Perkins, Upstate Freshwater Institute
  • 2017 – Dr. Rebecca Schneider, NYSFOLA Board of Directors, Cornell University Department of Natural Resources
  • 2018 – Dr. Stephen Souza, Princeton Hydro, LLC
  • 2019 – Scott Cook, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Region 7, Finger Lakes Hub
  • 2020 – Chris Doyle, SOLitude Lake Management
  • 2021- Scott Ingmire, Madison County Planning Department
  • 2022 – Tarki Heath, President, NYSFOLA
  • 2023 – Alon Dominitz, NYS DEC Dam Safety Chief
  • 2024 – Jan Andersen, President of the Three Lakes Council (Westchester County); Secretary, NYSFOLA Board of Directors
  • 2025 – Jim Cunningham, Chairman of the Madison Board of Supervisors; and Laurel Wolfe, Board Member, NYSFOLA

Lake Steward Award

The Lake Steward Award is presented each year to a lake association volunteer who has gone above and beyond the call of duty for his/her lake association. Nominations can be sent to the NYSFOLA office throughout the year. Awards are presented at the Annual Conference banquet.

Submit a description of the nominee’s contributions to Nancy Mueller, Manager, NYS FOLA, PO Box 84, LaFayette, NY 13084 or via email at fola@nysfola.org no later than March 31st.

Newsletter Awards

Does your lake association have an award worthy newsletter? Enter it in the annual NYSFOLA newsletter contest. We have separate categories for both print and digital editions. In each category, awards will be presented to small, medium, and large sized lake associations. Entries are judge on the following attributes:

  • Overall appearance (layout is easy to read & visually attractive)
  • Use of color in text (one or four color)
  • Contains photographs or graphics (B/W or full color)
  • Publication information (name of editor, co-editor, issue number or date, etc.)
  • President’s message or greeting
  • Committee reports (summaries of what’s going on within committees/action being taken)
  • Articles or features by individual contributors (can include reports by officers)
  • Newsletter includes the following elements: masthead; mission statement; table of contents; list of officers; and calendar of events

Please note: These guidelines are to be used for the purposes of this contest only. While full color publications are desirable, content will nearly always trumps fancy bells & whistles. Use of color will not be the determining factor in selecting a winner. The overall aim is to produce a newsletter that is informative, interesting and educational, something that members will peruse at the very least and read in its entirety at best. If it contains pertinent news about the lake and its residents, it most likely will end up being held onto until the next issue is published. Advertising to offset the cost of newsletter production and mailing will not be a selection factor however it should not be obtrusive or detract from the publication’s readability.

Willard Harman Student Scholar Award

The New York State Federation of Lake Associations is pleased to announce the formation of the Willard Harman Student Scholar Award. This award is established in honor of Dr. Willard Harman for his decades of work and dedication to NYSFOLA and the lake communities across New York State.

The Willard Harman Student Scholar Award (WHSSA) is designed to identify and reward outstanding students with an affinity for work and studies related to water ecology, in and around lake environments. This award will support a graduate or graduate degree candidate, with demonstrated academic excellence and a dedication to pursuing a career in environmental sciences relating to limnology, water quality, or watershed management.

HOW IT WORKS
Eligible applicants must currently be enrolled in a NYS institution of higher education that provides accredited graduate-level, environmental programs of study. Applications from institutions outside NYS may be considered if the student is working with lakes in New York State.

This is a competitive award. NYSFOLA will provide a one-time award of $2,000.00 which must be applied to the student scholar’s educational endeavors. While this is not a research grant, the fund may be applied to a student’s research project or related expenses. The student scholar will be expected to present at the Annual NYSFOLA Conference in May and provide an article for the NYSFOLA newsletter. Both the NYSFOLA Annual Conference in May and the Waterworks article will provide opportunities for the student to engage with the NYSFOLA community, developing relationships and contacts across the state.

Criteria for the presentation and the article are included in the application. Students working on projects of study relating to lake management and those lake management stakeholders will have an advantage in the selection process.

THE APPLICATION PROCESS

Candidates must be referred to the NYSFOLA Gift and Scholarship Committee using the NYSFOLA Willard Harman Student Scholar Award Application provided at the NYSFOLA website www.nysfola.org or by contacting Dave Carr at dcarr@nysfola.org.

Applications must be completed and signed by the student’s academic advisor or a recognized teaching professor, at the applicant’s current college. The signatory must be well acquainted with the student, having worked directly with the student in the environmental study areas of focus.

Applications must be completed and filed with the NYSFOLA office by February 1st. The selection process will be completed by March 15th at which time the student scholar will be chosen by select members of the NYSFOLA Board of Directors.

The New York State Federation of Lake Associations, Willard Harman Student Scholar Award

APPLICATION – Your Application must be completed ONLINE with all of the requested information.  
1/ Personal Information
Your First and Last Name  – Email  – Phone number –  Best contact address.

2/ Academic information
Institution of Learning – Area of Graduate Study – Years in program of study – Anticipated completion date
Copy of current transcript

3/ Personal Statement describing your experiences, goals, and proposed use of scholarship funds. (LENGTH suggestion 500-1,000 words)

4/ Copy of recent recorded presentation, article, or research paper relating directly to the area of study.

5/ REFERRING PROFESSIONAL and Letter of Reference
First and Last Name – Email – Phone number – Best contact address.
Referring professional’s position, including:
Institution of Learning – Division/School – Position and relationship to you.
Letter of Recommendation (LENGTH suggestion 200 – 300 words)

NOTE – Students will be scored in the following areas:
The strength of their Student Letter as it relates to the award.
The strength of the Letter of Recommendation.
The overall presentation and completion of the application packet.
The quality of any presentations/articles or other authored documents submitted.
Academic achievement.
A bonus will be applied based on work/study with NYS Lakes.

 Link to online  APPLICATION

More on Dr. Harman at this link– BIO –  and www.NYSFOLA.org


Media Award

This award seeks to recognize outstanding journalism that has promoted lake stewardship and has brought attention to issues and potential problems involving New York State lakes or their watersheds, including but not limited to stories featuring:

  • Harmful algal blooms
  • Impacts of development on water quality
  • Dam Safety
  • Aquatic Invasive Species
  • Watershed management and non-point pollution
  • Boating and boating safety
  • Government Issues

For additional information, including how to apply for this award, please contact NYSFOLA Executive Director David Carr at fola@nysfola.org