The Finger Lakes Land Trust says it has protected more than 35,000 acres across the region, a cumulative milestone detailed in its new annual report alongside land purchases, conservation easements and public-access improvements completed during the fiscal year that ended June 30.
The 2025-26 annual report says the Ithaca-based organization owns and manages 45 nature preserves with more than 55 miles of free public trails. It also holds permanent conservation easements on 204 privately owned properties. Those figures describe the organization's overall portfolio, not land added in a single year.
Projects protect lakes, creeks and farmland
One project added 30 acres to public access on Keuka Lake's Bluff Point in the town of Jerusalem, Yates County. The new Waldershare Acres Nature Preserve has two loop trails through hardwood forest. The Land Trust says the forest also helps limit erosion and nutrient runoff into the lake.
In Summerhill, Cayuga County, the organization bought 26.5 acres of wetlands and upland buffers with 3,440 feet along Fall Creek. The creek is Cornell University's drinking-water source and a major Cayuga Lake tributary. The property will remain natural habitat, according to the report.
The Land Trust also purchased 22 wooded acres to expand its Canandaigua Vista Preserve above Canandaigua Lake to 112 acres. In West Danby, Tompkins County, an 83-acre purchase became the 15th addition to Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve, which now spans more than 630 acres.
Agricultural easements protected 246 acres at Christiansen Farms in the Yates County towns of Benton, Milo and Torrey. The report describes the farm as a certified organic dairy and crop operation. A separate 73-acre easement in Ulysses, Tompkins County, protects farmland in the Cayuga Lake watershed.
Two neighboring Ulysses properties, totaling 46 acres, were placed under easements that protect 3,200 feet of Taughannock Creek frontage. Near Skaneateles Lake, an easement protects 90 acres at Eastmere Farms, including more than 4,700 feet along Shotwell Brook. Those waterway projects were among several supported by public and private partners.
In Steuben County, three donated easements protect 283 acres overlooking Hammondsport in the Keuka Lake watershed. A 203-acre easement in Virgil, Cortland County, covers land spanning the divide between the Cayuga Lake and Susquehanna River watersheds. Both projects keep the land privately owned while permanently limiting development.
Partnerships add to public lands
The Land Trust purchased 74 acres around Kashong Glen on Seneca Lake's west side. The town of Geneva agreed to own and steward the tract as part of its Kashong Conservation Area, according to the report. The land includes more than 5,500 feet along Kashong Creek.
In Caroline, Tompkins County, an 18-acre wetland purchase in the Six Mile Creek watershed was transferred to The Wetland Trust for habitat management. The watershed supplies drinking water to Ithaca. Another 35-acre Caroline purchase is intended for transfer to the state Department of Environmental Conservation as an addition to Danby State Forest.
The organization also bought 108 wooded acres in Dryden for addition to Yellow Barn State Forest. That parcel includes a pond and seasonal tributaries of Six Mile Creek. The report describes the transfer projects as partnerships, rather than new Land Trust preserves.
Trails and stewardship continue
The report says more than 200 volunteers help care for the organization's conservation areas, maintain trails and manage invasive species. Staff also monitor roughly 200 properties each year where the Land Trust holds permanent easements.
At Roy H. Park Preserve in Dryden, the group completed accessibility improvements including two overlooks, trail extensions, boardwalk leveling and handrails, accessible parking and a better connection to Hammond Hill State Forest. At the Lower Preserve in Enfield, it planted 575 native trees and shrubs to reduce runoff and erosion.
Volunteers also worked on access improvements at Shotwell Brook Conservation Area in Skaneateles. The Land Trust expects to open that area to the public in 2027. Its educational work during the year included 13 free natural-history field trips.
The Land Trust convened 30 staff and volunteers for a first Finger Lakes Advocacy Day at the state Capitol, where participants discussed harmful algal blooms and conservation programs. It is planning another event in 2027. Staff also held an oak wilt workshop in South Bristol and a woods walk at Bear Swamp State Forest.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to news@fingerlakes1.com.
