The Open Space Institute (OSI) has acquired the 1,525-acre former Sabattis Scout Reservation in St. Lawrence County, NY. Located within the Adirondack Park, the property includes historic campgrounds, ponds, hiking trails, and several miles of shoreline along Lows Lake.
The lake is a popular paddling destination in the Five Ponds Wilderness Area, about 10 miles from Tupper Lake.
OSI purchased the property for $2 million from the Scouting America – Longhouse Council, which operated Sabattis Scout Reservation as a summer camp.
The acquisition sets the stage for the property to be opened to the public for the first time in decades — a goal long sought by local communities. OSI intends to sell the land to the the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) for addition to the State’s Forest Preserve.
Once transferred to New York State, the property could serve as an eastern gateway to the Five Ponds Wilderness. During OSI’s ownership however, the property will remain closed to public access.
Surrounded by the Five Ponds, William C. Whitney, and Round Lake wilderness areas, as well as Cranberry Lake Wild Forest, the Sabattis property fills an important gap within one of the Adirondack Park’s largest networks of protected lands.
According to an OSI analysis, the property is “above average” for forest connectivity and habitat diversity, helping link large blocks of forest that allow wildlife to move across the landscape and adapt to changing weather conditions.
The property’s wetlands, lakes, and ponds support a wide variety of species, including Common Loons, which are designated as a species of special concern by the New York Natural Heritage Program.
In addition to supporting wildlife, the site’s varied forest types and high-quality soils serve as a carbon stronghold that stores and captures significant amounts of greenhouse gas emissions.
The site collectively stores more than 415,400 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in soil, trees, and roots — the equivalent of burning more than 46 million gallons of gasoline.
DEC identified the Sabattis Scout Reservation as one of its highest conservation priorities for Region 6, which includes St. Lawrence, Jefferson, Lewis, Oneida, and Herkimer counties. The parcel is also recognized in New York State’s Open Space Conservation Plan for its scenic, recreational, and habitat values.
The Lows Lake was created by Abbot Augustus Low (1844–1912), an entrepreneur and inventor from Brooklyn, who dammed the Bog River to create a hydroelectric reservoir.
The first, now known as Lows Lower dam, was built in 1903, to provide electricity for Low’s Horseshoe Forestry Company. A second, now Lows Upper dam, was added in 1907 and created Lows Lake from Mud Lake, Bog River Flow, Tomar Pond, and Grass Pond.
These were part of Low’s commercial enterprise which included railways connecting the area with New York City, and the production of maple syrup and lumber.
On the granite ledge above the second dam, there is a plaque commemorating Low’s memory. His ashes were spread from the ledge.
Read more about the Adirondacks.
Illustrations, from above: Sabattis Scout Reservation and Lows Lake, July 2025 (Photo by Bill Amos, courtesy OSI); and a map of the purchase (provided).
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