case study: Great Camp Sagamore, Raquette Lake   In 1975, in its second year of operation, the Preservation League led the way to save Camp Sagamore, one of the most significant of the Adirondack Great Camps. Built between 1892 and 1901 on 1,500 acres near Raquette Lake by William West Durant, a pioneer promoter of the Adirondacks, Camp Sagamore was scheduled to become part of the State Forest Preserve. Under the “forever wild” clause of the state Constitution, the main lodge and guest quarters would then be demolished. Undeterred, the League successfully found a buyer and orchestrated an innovative land transfer, inserting preservation covenants in the deed and conveying title to 7.5 acres with ten historic buildings to a non-profit educational institute. Several years later, Camp Sagamore’s nearby outbuildings, which had not been included in the earlier land transfer, were scheduled for demolition. The only solution for preserving them was to remove that acreage from the Forest Preserve, a process that required amending the state Constitution. The League again rose to the challenge, shepherding the necessary bills through two separately-elected state legislatures and then organizing a broad-based Coalition to Save Camp Sagamore, which conduced a highly successful voter education campaign. More than 1.5 million New Yorkers voiced their support, passing the required ballot proposal by an overwhelming 63 percent, in November, 1983. The architectural heritage of Camp Sagamore was now protected, the League’s political clout was established, and the organization’s statewide identity was secured.