ADKX series of presentations, events honors Anne LaBastille

BLUE MOUNTAIN LAKE | Adirondack Experience, The Museum on Blue Mountain Lake (ADKX), will be holding a four-part series of presentations and events this September honoring the life and work of Dr. Anne LaBastille. The series commemorates the 50th anniversary of her landmark memoir, Woodswoman, and celebrates the release of the new biography Anne LaBastille: A Biography of the Woodswoman, written by museum staff member Penny Harr. Dr. Anne LaBastille (1933–2011) was a trailblazing conservationist and the first scientist appointed as a commissioner of the Adirondack Park Agency. Her 1976 book, Woodswoman, chronicled her life in a hand-built cabin on Twitchell Lake and became a touchstone for environmentalism and female independence. This September, ADKX will explore her enduring influence through a series of programs that bridge the history of her classic memoir with fresh biographical insights from Harr's extensive research. Harr's new biography expands beyond the cabin logs to reveal the full scope of LaBastille's career as an internationally acclaimed wildlife ecologist. The upcoming programs at the ADKX will shine a spotlight on her groundbreaking global fieldwork—including her pioneering ecological research on the endangered giant flightless grebe in Guatemala, her wildlife assessment projects across Central America and the Caribbean, and her consultancies for global conservation organizations. Attendees will gain a broader perspective on how her regional advocacy in the Adirondacks interconnected with her lifelong commitment to global environmental stewardship. "Anne LaBastille's voice is as relevant today as it was fifty years ago," said Chris Dobbs, ADKX Executive Director. "By celebrating the golden anniversary of Woodswoman alongside Penny Harr's incredible new biography, we are providing our visitors with a deeper, more complete understanding of a woman who dedicated her life to the protection of our wild spaces." The four-part series includes: Saturday, Sept. 19, 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. Behind the Scenes: Anne LaBastille in the ADKX Collection with Penny Harr: Penny will lead visitors through selections from the museum's library and archival collections before heading to Life in the Adirondacks, ADKX's main exhibit exploring the Adirondack Park and its people, to visit Anne LaBastille's cabin. Drawing on her extensive research and personal insight, Penny brings to life Anne LaBastille's work as a writer, wildlife ecologist, and conservationist, as well as the independence and vision that defined her time in the Adirondacks. Saturday, Sept. 19, 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. Anne LaBastille: A Biography of the Woodswoman | Book Signing with Penny Harr: Drawing on personal interviews and archival research, including at the ADKX Library, Harr, an Exhibit Assistant at the Adirondack Experience and a seventh-generation Adirondacker, brings to life Anne LaBastille's remarkable career and rich inner world, from her cabin in the remote Adirondacks to her decades of environmental work around the globe. Sunday, Sept. 20, 10 a.m. & 1 p.m. In the Steps of a Woodswoman: A Paddle on Twitchell Lake: Bring your own boat and join ADKX staff for a paddle across Twitchell Lake to the former site of Anne LaBastille's historic cabin, once a place of solitude, writing, and deep connection to the Adirondack landscape. Fifty years after the first publication of LaBastille's book Woodswoman, this guided paddle offers participants the opportunity to experience Twitchell Lake as she did, followed by a walk through the cabin site and discussion of her life, work, and environmental legacy. Monday, Sept. 21, 7 – 8 p.m. The Legacy of Anne LaBastille: 50 Years of Woodswoman Panel Discussion: This conversation brings together Leslie Surprenant, friend of LaBastille and executor of her estate, and author Penny Harr, whose forthcoming biography Anne LaBastille: A Biography of the Woodswoman offers new insight into LaBastille's life and work. The panel will be moderated by Nathalie Thill, Executive Director of the Adirondack Center for Writing. Together, the speakers will explore LaBastille's impact as a writer, environmental advocate, and independent voice in the Adirondack region, as well as the continued relevance of Woodswoman 50 years after its publication.

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ADKX series of presentations, events honors Anne LaBastille

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