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

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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, Femme des bois, and celebrates the release of the new biography Anne LaBastille : La biographie de la femme des bois, 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, Femme des bois, 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 Femme des bois 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: 

Derrière les coulisses : Anne LaBastille dans la collection ADKX avec Penny Harr: Penny will lead visitors through selections from the museum’s library and archival collections before heading to La vie dans les 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 : La biographie de la femme des bois | 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 

Dans les pas d'une femme des bois : Pagayer sur le lac Twitchell: 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 Femme des bois, 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 

L'héritage d'Anne LaBastille : 50 ans de Woodswoman : débat d'experts: Cette conversation réunit Leslie Surprenant, amie de LaBastille et exécutrice testamentaire, et l'auteure Penny Harr, dont la biographie, à paraître, s'intitule Anne LaBastille : La biographie de la femme des bois 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 Femme des bois cinquante ans après sa publication. September 21st, 7 PM – 8 PM 
 
To learn more about all the events celebrating 50 Years of Femme des bois cliquez ici. 
 

À propos de l'Expérience Adirondack, le musée du lac Blue Mountain
Adirondack Experience, Le musée de Blue Mountain Lake (ADKX), accrédité par l’American Alliance of Museums, fait découvrir l’histoire et la culture de la région des Adirondacks à travers des expositions interactives, des activités pratiques et des collections riches sur le plan culturel, réparties dans plus de 24 bâtiments historiques et contemporains situés sur un campus de 121 acres au cœur des Adirondacks. L'ADKX propose un large éventail de programmes et d'activités, notamment des expositions temporaires et permanentes, l'exposition interactive « Life in the Adirondacks » (19 000 pieds carrés) et la nouvelle exposition « Artists & Inspiration in the Wild », des randonnées sur des sentiers naturels et des balades en bateau sur l'étang Minnow. L’ADKX propose des activités quotidiennes avec des artistes en résidence, des ateliers, des conférences, des promenades dans la nature, des programmes familiaux et éducatifs, ainsi que des événements phares tels que la « Rustic Fair », le « FallFest » et le « Adirondack Art Festival ». Le musée est financé en partie par les dons du grand public, tandis qu’une partie de son fonctionnement est soutenue par le New York State Council on the Arts, avec le soutien de la gouverneure Kathy Hochul et de l’Assemblée législative de l’État de New York. Pour plus d’informations, appelez le 518-352-7311 ou rendez-vous sur 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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