Finding pieces of the puzzle
The Finger Lakes Land Trust assembles a landscape of conservation throughout the region
What does it take to protect natural landscapes, and why do we need to protect them? I asked Max Heitner, the director of conservation for the Finger Lakes Land Trust these questions.
Founded in 1989, the land trust is a nonprofit organization that protects more than 25,000 acres in the Finger Lakes Region of New York. They aim to conserve natural spaces and fill in the gaps between areas they already own, those protected as New York State Parks, and those managed by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation.
“To conserve forever the lands and waters of the Finger Lakes region, ensuring scenic vistas, clean water, local foods, and wild places for everyone.” -The Finger Lakes Land Trust’s mission
As a “realtor for nature,” Heitner’s role at the land trust is finding and acquiring lands with significant conservation value that need protection. Landowners sometimes approach the land trust with the opportunity to purchase portions of their land. The land trust prioritizes parcels of land they want to acquire that would benefit the overall conservation landscape in the region.
Heitner and the acquisition team see the process through the beginning phases of conservation. Projects start with landowner discussions of conservation goals and visits to the property, followed by the steps of acquisition: title review, property survey, appraisal, assessing environmental hazards, and finally, closing the deal. The acquisition team then passes the project to other folks at the land trust who handle management, restoration, and monitoring. Their network of over 200 volunteers helps tremendously with the restoration and monitoring of protected lands.
The land trust and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) share an almost identical mission to conserve natural spaces for the benefit of wildlife populations and people. This common goal births a natural partnership between the two organizations. Through the Upper Susquehanna Conservation Alliance (USCA), a collaborative of agencies, organizations, academic institutions, and dedicated individuals working to conserve, protect, and restore the integrity of the Upper Susquehanna watershed, this partnership has come to fruition. The Service is able to help fund USCA projects through grants and has provided grant funding to the land trust to help acquire land.
By acting as a conduit, the land trust puts the pieces of the landscape conservation puzzle together. They have the flexibility to act swiftly in acquiring lands, often unlike state and federal agencies. By working together, landscape conservation is able to happen much more efficiently. After land acquisition, the land trust works closely with agencies to restore habitat, and even transfer ownership of properties, if they meet agency goals for conservation.
The land trust often works with state agencies, like the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation or New York State Parks. The land trust acquires and maintains a property until the state agency has the available public funding to purchase it from them. Sometimes this looks like the trust acquiring and maintaining land until New York State Parks can purchase it and add the land to an existing state park. The land trust helps these agencies achieve their own conservation goals and add to the amount of public lands they protect.
Conserving larger landscapes supports the health of the region’s ecosystems. When wildlife can move throughout a network of lands, mixing among individuals increases, which boosts genetic diversity. A diverse gene pool helps populations better withstand disease and environmental disturbance. Basically, the more easily wildlife can move around, the better!
People benefit from these conserved landscapes as well, since they are often open to recreation. The land trust has created nearly 50 miles of hiking and walking trails within their preserve properties to date! Protecting lands while allowing public access is a priority for them.
Recently, with the help of grant funding from the Service, the land trust has purchased a 24-acre parcel of land that abuts its Goetchius Wetlands Preserve. This new parcel will protect an additional 5,500 feet of streambank on the Owego Creek. Another piece in the landscape conservation puzzle!
The land trust has started restoring the property by planting 2,000 trees to create a healthy wetland buffer on this former agricultural land. The Upper Susquehanna Coalition and many volunteers assisted with this project. This type of restoration promotes filtration of water runoff, improving the health of local watersheds.
Every puzzle piece counts, from 24 acres, to 200 acres or more. Maintaining a network of natural spaces helps ensure a bright and healthy future for the wildlife, plants, and people of New York. Thank you Max, the Finger Lakes Land Trust, the USCA, the Upper Susquehanna Coalition, and volunteers, for all the work you do to conserve our natural heritage and protect our landscapes for generations to come.
