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:
Grimes Glen County Park http://www.fllt.org/protected_lands/protected_lands1.php?id=44
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.
Wesley Hill Nature Preserve http://www.fllt.org/protected_lands/protected_lands1.php?id=31
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.
Great Hill Preserve http://www.fllt.org/protected_lands/protected_lands1.php?id=25
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.