A two-decade push to protect some of the Finger Lakes region’s most ecologically significant land is hitting a milestone, as the Finger Lakes Land Trust celebrates the 20th anniversary of Ithaca’s “Emerald Necklace.”
The greenbelt initiative, launched in 2006 to prioritize conservation around the southern end of Cayuga Lake, has helped preserve more than 5,300 acres while linking tens of thousands more through a connected network of protected lands.
Stretching from the Finger Lakes National Forest to Hammond Hill State Forest, the Emerald Necklace now connects more than 50,000 acres of conservation land in an arc around Ithaca. The corridor includes 78 miles of the Finger Lakes Trail, multiple state forests and parks, and areas recognized for their ecological importance, including designated bird habitats and unique natural areas.
Over the past 20 years, the land trust has established or expanded 11 public nature preserves within the Emerald Necklace, including the Roy H. Park Preserve in Dryden, the Sweedler and Thayer Preserves at Lick Brook, and the Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve in West Danby. The organization has also secured 32 conservation easements, allowing land to remain privately owned while protecting it from development.
To mark the anniversary, Finger Lakes Land Trust President Andrew Zepp plans to retrace a 78-mile hike along the Finger Lakes Trail that he first completed when the initiative began. Portions of the trek will include community members and conservation partners and will be documented as part of a video project later this year.
The organization is also encouraging the public to take part in a yearlong hiking challenge, inviting participants to complete the same 78-mile stretch of trail at their own pace. Those who finish the route will receive a commemorative patch tied to the anniversary.
Land trust officials say the Emerald Necklace has become a key tool for protecting water quality, wildlife habitat, and public access to outdoor recreation, while maintaining connections between existing conservation lands across the region.
Since its founding, the Finger Lakes Land Trust has protected more than 35,000 acres across the region, including lakeshore, forests, farmland, and gorges, through a combination of public preserves and conservation easements.
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