What are the Finger Lakes Land Trust Preserves and Conservation Easements?
The Finger Lakes Land Trust Preserves and Conservation Easements are tracts of land protected by a private, non-profit organization, the Finger Lakes Land Trust (FLLT). Each of the FLLTs preserves and conservation easements is monitored by volunteers. Preserves are areas of significant natural resources that are owned outright by the FLLT, while conservation easements are voluntary agreements that allow a landowner to limit the type or amount of development on their property while retaining private ownership of the land. The easement is signed by the landowner, who is the easement donor, and the FLLT, who is the party receiving the easement. Both preserves and easements are managed by the FLLT to help preserve the natural integrity of the Finger Lakes Region, and, in the case of its nature preserves, for education, research, and quiet forms of recreation, such as hiking and bird watching.
