The Finger Lakes Land Trust (FLLT) announced an opportunity to conserve more land and water in the Owasco, Otisco, and Skaneateles lake watersheds.
An anonymous donor is making a $250,000 challenge gift to leverage additional resources. All gifts made to the FLLT to benefit conservation in the eastern Finger Lakes will be matched 1:1, up to $250,000.
The FLLT is working on important conservation projects across the three easternmost Finger Lakes.
Near Owasco Lake, the organization is working with a local family to conserve their farm overlooking the lake’s western shore. As part of the project, the FLLT will work with partners to create stream buffers on the property that will limit nutrient-laden runoff to the lake. The organization is also partnering with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to restore wetlands at Owasco Flats and planting native trees at its popular Owasco Bluffs Preserve.
Earlier this year, the FLLT completed its second lakeshore protection project on Otisco Lake, establishing the first new Onondaga County Park in 20 years. Now, the FLLT is working to protect additional lands within the watershed that play a vital role in filtering runoff to the lake.
Around Skaneateles Lake, the FLLT just acquired a key addition to its High Vista Nature Preserve in Spafford. Expanding protection around the south end of Skaneateles Lake is a priority for the FLLT, as the steeply sloping hillsides are vital to the health of the lake. The FLLT is also poised to acquire hillside woodlands overlooking the lake’s western shore and is working on conservation easements on more than 800 acres of land within the watershed.
For additional information on our conservation work in the Owasco, Otisco, and Skaneateles lake watersheds, and to support this effort, please contact Senior Director Kelly Makosch at 607-275-9487 or [email protected].
By working cooperatively with landowners and local communities, the Finger Lakes Land Trust has protected over 29,000 acres of the region’s undeveloped lakeshore, rugged gorges, rolling forest, and scenic farmland. The FLLT owns and manages a network of over 45 nature preserves that are open to the public and holds perpetual conservation easements on 172 properties that remain in private ownership.
The FLLT focuses on protecting critical habitat for fish and wildlife, conserving lands that are important for water quality, connecting existing conservation lands, and keeping prime farmland in agriculture. The organization also provides programs to educate local governments, landowners, and residents about conservation and the region’s unique natural resources.
Information on the region’s premier destinations for outdoor recreation may be found at gofingerlakes.org, a resource created by the FLLT to encourage people to get outdoors. Additional information about the Finger Lakes Land Trust may be found at fllt.org.
Matt Champlin
The FLLT is reaching out seeking support to raise funds for a matching donation up to $250,000 to support area lakes like Skaneateles pictures here.
