Adirondack Experience to Celebrate 50th Anniversary of Woodswoman and Launch of New Anne LaBastille Biography 

Press Room

For Immediate Release
August 19, 2026

Blue Mountain Lake, NY — Adirondack Experience, The Museum on Blue Mountain Lake (ADKX), is pleased to announce a special event series 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: 

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. September 19th, 10 AM, 11 AM, 1 PM 

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. September 19th, 3 PM – 5PM 

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. September 20th, 10 AM & 1 PM 

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 fifty years after its publication. September 21st, 7 PM – 8 PM 
 
To learn more about all the events celebrating 50 Years of Woodswoman click here. 
 

About Adirondack Experience, The Museum on Blue Mountain Lake
Adirondack Experience, The Museum on Blue Mountain Lake (ADKX), accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, shares the history and culture of the Adirondack region through interactive exhibits, hands-on activities, and culturally rich collections in more than 24 historic and contemporary buildings on a 121-acre campus in the heart of the Adirondacks. ADKX offers a broad range of programs and activities including special and permanent exhibitions, the 19,000-square-foot Life in the Adirondacks interactive exhibition and new Artists & Inspiration in the Wild, nature trail hikes, and boating on Minnow Pond. ADKX offers daily activities with artists-in-residence, workshops, lectures, nature walks, family and educational programs, and signature events like the Rustic Fair, FallFest, and the Adirondack Art Festival. The museum is supported in part with donations from the general public, with some general operating support made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature. For additional information, call 518-352-7311 or visit www.theADKX.org.

MEDIA CONTACT: 
Amanda Metzger | Behan Communications  
Amanda.metzger@behancom.com | (518) 769-3146 

ADIRONDACK EXPERIENCE CONTACT: 
Tara Murphy | Director of Marketing and Communications 
tmurphy@theadkx.org | (518) 352-7311 ext. 182 

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