The Lake Tear of the Clouds Award is NYSFOLA’s highest honor. This award, named for the “highest” lake in the state, is awarded 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.
This year, we honor and thank Jan Andersen who has long been involved with NYSFOLA, serving on the Board of Directors as Secretary for at least a dozen years. As described by NYSFOLA President Tarki Heath, “Jan is… invaluable to the running of NYSFOLA. Her knowledge of the CSLAP program and her ability to run precise analytical analyses have been critical in keeping this program running for decades. …Her dedication to the organization and the countless hours she has committed to its success can not be overstated.”
Jan is very busy with a number other things as well, including being a CSLAP volunteer for many years. Together with her husband, Lou, she developed computer programs to manage the complicated data coming in from CSLAP volunteers and making the reports more accessible and coherent.
She has been president of the Three Lakes Council in Westchester County since 2012 which is comprised of Lake Oscaleta, Lake Waccabuc, and Lake Rippowam.
Jan also developed of a simple method for aquatic plant monitoring that allows volunteers to work from the shore, monitors rainfall from her own yard as part of CoCoRaHS (Community Collaborative Rain Hail & Snow Network), has run the Lower Hudson Regional meeting for at least a dozen years, publishes her Lake Community newsletter, and the list goes on!
Congratulations Jan for this well deserved award!