FINGER LAKES LAND TRUST: Indoor meeting

SATURDAY, March 22, 2014 at 10:00 AM

INTRODUCTION TO ACTIVITIES OF 

THE FINGER LAKES LAND TRUST


The Finger Lakes Land Trust is committed to protecting lake shores, streams, wetlands, and other sensitive lands surrounding the Finger Lakes.  They also provide educational outreach to Finger lakes landowners and municipalities.  The land trust aims to preserve Finger Lakes lands for future generations to enjoy.  Elizabeth Newbold, Land Protection Specialist of the Finger Lakes Land Trust, will provide an overview of their many projects and success stories.  More information can be found at their website: www.fllt.org.

Minutes from our meeting on March 22, 2014 with Elizabeth Newbold:

The Finger Lakes Land Trust was founded in 1989 to protect those lands that define the character of the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. To date, the Land Trust has protected more than 16,000 acres of the region's wetlands, forests, farmland, shorelines, and gorges. This has been accomplished through the establishment of nature preserves that are open to the public for quiet recreation, the use of conservation easements (voluntary agreements on private lands), and the provision of technical assistance and educational programs to local governments, landowners, and the public. The Land Trust is a nonprofit organization supported primarily by membership donations and grants from private foundations.

On March 22nd 2014 Elizabeth Newbold, Land Protection Specialist of the Finger Lakes Land Trust, provided an overview of the Finger Lakes Land Trust to a dozen members of the Canandaigua Botanical Society at Finger Lakes Community College. The Finger Lakes Land Trust encompasses eleven Finger Lakes and twelve counties.  Essentially, the Finger Lakes Land Trust works with people who want to protect their land into the future. 

Elizabeth focused her discussion on the Canandaigua Lake Watershed.  The FLLT recently published this Canandaigua report: http://www.fllt.org/linkfiles/cndgareport.pdf which has several of the photos and information Elizabeth shared.

Elizabeth shared information about the local Finger Lakes Land Trust properties:

    Once privately owned, now owned by Naples and open to the public with a new bridge built by Ontario County.  There will soon be a video on Youtube made from a remote controlled plane with a camera that navigates through Grimes Glen. 

   This preserve off Gulick Road in Naples features several gullies including a portion of the immense Briggs Gully as well as mature forest, beautiful wildflowers and sweeping views of the hills surrounding Honeoye Lake's southern end.

   This park on County Road 12 with a scenic overlook of Canandaigua Lake is the result of collaboration between Odell Scott, FLLT, and the Town of South Bristol. 

    With more than 250 acres, Great Hill Preserve has trails along the forested slopes high above Canandaigua Lake and next to Hi Tor Wildlife Management Area. Nundawao (Great Hill, in English) is revered by the Senecas as the birthplace of the Seneca people.

Elizabeth also talked about:
     The Armstrong acquisition on South Hill near the Great Hill Nature Preserve and High Tor Wildlife Management Area: http://www.fllt.org/news/index.php?id=125
      The grassland habitat restoration near High Tor Wildlife Management Area on page 3 of the FLLT Autumn 2013 newsletter http://www.fllt.org/getres.php?id=428
     And the Reed acquisition along the shore of Canandaigua Lake up to Bare Hill highlighted in the FLLT Summer 2013 newsletter http://www.fllt.org/getres.php?id=427

What can we do?  Volunteer, make a donation, notify FLLT about properties for sale, attend an event, and enjoy the FLLT properties.  

More information can be found at their website: www.fllt.org.