Presentation - Landmark Society

Tools the Genesee Land Trust
Uses to Preserve Open Space
Nancy Goodman Torpey
What the GLT does
The Genesee Land Trust preserves and
protects land within the Greater Rochester
area – waterways, wetlands, farmland, open
space, fish and wildlife habitat, and scenic or
recreational areas – by acquiring property or
development rights and assisting government
agencies, individuals, and private groups with
their own land protection efforts.
What is Open Space?
Parks
Farms
Woodlands
Meadows
Ranchlands
Waterways
Linear trails
Wetlands
Coastlines
Water bodies
For perspective:
open space in Jefferson County, CO
As of 12/31/2009:
Total 51,981.5 Acres Open Space:
(fee, conservation easement, lease)
More perspective:
open space in Summit County, CO
312,000 acres within
White River National Forest
Wilderness areas
Other smaller parcels
Monroe County Parks
 Parks in Monroe County were established in
1888 with the creation of the Rochester Parks
Commission and the dedication of Highland
Park.
 In 1926, the county began to assume direct
responsibility for the management of local
parklands.
 Today the Parks Department operates 21 parks
totaling nearly 12,000 acres.
 Hamlin Beach and Irondequoit Bay Marine
State Parks
Monroe County Parks
Powder Mills Park (Pittsford) Genesee Valley Park (Rochester)
Black Creek Park (Chili)
Wetlands of Ellison Park (Penfield)
Highland Park (Rochester)
Wayne County Parks
 12 County Parks, most with pavilions, 5 with
trails
 Chimney Bluffs State Park - 597 acres acquired
by New York State in 1963. It is an undeveloped
state park with walking trails.
 Fairhaven Beach State Park – 1500 foot beach
with hiking, camping, boating …
 Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge – 7068
acres established in 1938 as a refuge and
breeding ground for migratory birds and other
wildlife.
Wayne County Parks
Chimney Bluffs (state)
Abbey Park (county)
Montezuma National
Wildlife Refuge (national)
Sodus Bay
Town Parks
Every town has them!
Major Trails
Erie Canalway Trail
380 miles from Buffalo to Albany
Genesee Valley Greenway
84 miles (Rochester to Cuba)
Lehigh Valley Trail
~26 miles from Victor to Brighton
Genesee Riverway Trail
14 miles along Genesee River
Major Trails Map
What is a Land Trust?
 A nonprofit organization that actively works to
conserve land by undertaking or assisting in land or
conservation easement acquisition, or by stewardship
of such land or easements.
 Work cooperatively with landowners
 Protect and conserve land for its natural, recreational,
scenic, historic, or productive value.
 Focus on distinct areas, such as a single town, county
or region or operate throughout an entire state or
even several states.
 Sometimes called conservancies, foundations and
associations.
Land Trusts in the US
 Today in the US there are 1,700 land trusts that
have more than 100,000 volunteers and 2
million members.
 So far, US land trusts have conserved 37 million
acres of land in America – an area roughly the
size of all the New England states combined.
 Protected lands include farmland, wetlands,
ranches, forests, watersheds and river corridors.
How does a Land Trust
Protect Open Space?
Preserves
Land Trust owns and stewards the property
Conservation Easements
Land Trust owns property development rights
and monitors the property
Partnerships
 A collaboration between the land trust and any
other entity, often a local government
Western NY Land Trusts
Genesee Land Trust
The Nature Conservancy,
Western and Central NY Chapter
Genesee Valley Conservancy
Western New York Land Conservancy
Finger Lakes Land Trust
Mendon Foundation, Inc.
What is the Genesee Land Trust?
The Genesee Land Trust is our local land trust
Not-for-profit organization formed in 1990
Supported by individual members and
limited number of grants
Three staff members & many volunteers
contact:
585-256-2130
www.geneseelandtrust.org
Genesee Land Trust
Mission
 Genesee Land Trust preserves and protects natural lands and
waterways that enhance the quality of life in the Greater
Rochester region — providing wildlife habitat, locally grown
food, and connections to nature.
 The Land Trust does so by acquiring property or development
rights and by assisting government agencies, individuals, and
private groups with their own land protection efforts.
Conservation priorities are: Protecting the North Coast (along
Lake Ontario); Local Farms, Local Food; and Connecting Nature
to the City. Genesee Land Trust is a tax-exempt, not-for-profit
organization supported by membership fees, grants, and other
contributions.
Genesee Land Trust
Region
Genesee Land Trust
Priority Conservation Areas
Migratory Bird Habitat
Significant and Unique Natural Habitats
Old Growth Woods
Wetlands
River and Stream
Corridors
Farmland
Genesee Land Trust
>4000 acres of land protected
11 Preserves owned and managed on 930 acres
Municipal Partnerships in Brighton, Victor and
Rochester on 80 acres
18 Permanent conservation agreements on
1970 acres of privately held land
Property Development Rights partnerships with
7 family farms in Macedon, Walworth & Ontario
on >1900 acres
Genesee Land Trust
Preserves
Managed for:
Habitat protection
Scenic protection
Recreational & educational opportunities
Genesee Land Trust
Preserves
 Braman Preserve
 Brookdale Preserve
 Christine Sevilla Wetlands Preserve
 Ganargua Creek Meadow Preserve
 Hipp Brook Preserve
 Island Cottage Woods Preserve
 Kaiser-Manitou Beach Banding Station
 Kraai Preserve
 Manitou Beach Preserve
 Reed Road Bird Sanctuary
 Salmon Creek Preserve
Braman
71 acres in Webster acquired 2012
60 acres of field and 11 acres of mature
woods with uncommon trees.
Near Lake Ontario; good bird stopover spot.
Adjacent to actively worked farms,
one of which has a GLT CE on it.
Brookdale
275 acres in Chili
Trails through wooded wetlands, open
meadows, and hardwood uplands.
Adjacent to Genesee Riverway Trail
Christine Sevilla Wetlands
23 acre wetland in Caledonia
Cattail and wooded wetland that is part of a
much larger (1000+ acres) wetland targeted
by NYS DEC for protection.
No trails yet, but
they are planned.
Ganargua Creek Meadows
56 Acres in Macedon
Trails and creek wind through upland area of
hardwoods, wildflowers ,shrubs, a broad
floodplain, and an open meadow
Exceptional butterfly
habitat in the meadow.
Hipp Brook
94 acres in Penfield
Trails through wooded swamp,
cattail marsh, flowing stream,
and upland grasslands.
Home to great horned owl, wood
duck, songbirds, fox, raccoon,
deer, other mammals, numerous
species of butterflies, frogs and
salamanders.
Island Cottage Woods
61 acres in Greece
Part of a wooded area
bordering the western
edge of Round Pond.
Adjacent to large DEC
property.
A favorite birding site. It
is tops among local,
critical migratory bird
stopover habitats.
Kaiser-Manitou Beach Banding Station
Manitou Beach Preserve
2 separate preserves close together
15 acres total in Greece
Home of the Braddock Bay Bird Observatory,
a bird banding research organization that
studies migratory songbirds.
Field, hedgerow, shrub and
cattail wetlands adjacent to
DEC property and Braddock
Bay.
Kraai
145 acres in Arcadia
Home to Peacework Farm
Home farm for the GVOCSA, providing
sustainably grown organic food to >250 families
Mature woodlands and the stream corridor
along the Ganargua Creek
with floodplains, wetlands
and ponds.
Trails are being improved.
Reed Road Bird Sanctuary
131 acres in Chili
Mature wooded wetland. Excellent migratory
and nesting bird habitat.
Too wet for trails.
Salmon Creek
58 acres in Greece
Along Salmon Creek at Braddock Bay.
Freshwater, cattail marsh. Part of a
large wetland complex extending
through the Towns of Parma and
Greece into Lake Ontario.
Nesting habitat for NYS
Endangered Species, Black Tern.
Access by canoe or kayak
Genesee Land Trust
Partnerships
Corbett’s Glen Nature Park (Brighton)
Lehigh Crossing Park (Victor)
El Camino (Rochester)
Conkey Corner Park (Rochester)
Corbett’s Glen Nature Park
Genesee Land Trust’s first purchase and
fundraising effort, now a Town of Brighton
nature park
52 acres with 2 miles of trails,
woods, meadow and creek.
Historic (1882) vaulted arch railroad
bridge is among largest in upstate NY
Corbett’s Glen Nature Park
A haven for great blue herons, wild turkeys,
deer, beaver, trout, salmon, etc.
Migratory stopover for birds in the spring and
fall
A variety of habitats,
including a marsh,
open fields, and
mature woodlands
Lehigh Crossing Park
57 acres in Victor
Has wetlands, woodland, open field and a
tributary of Irondequoit Creek.
Is adjacent to and joins Auburn
and Lehigh Valley Trails.
A trolley line from the Village
of Victor crossed the property.
El Camino – Urban Trail Project
 2.2 mile linear trail in Rochester
 Partnering with neighborhood groups to plan
and design central city trail, funded in part by
planning grants from RACF & Rochester, and
supported by Kodak gift.
 CSX railroad right of way
that was used for years to
bring coal to the Beebe
Power Station
 Ribbon cutting June 2012
El Camino – Urban Trail Project
 Transforming 2.2 miles of
abandoned rail right of way into
a thread of nature in the City
Conkey Corner Park
Converted into a park from a vacant lot at the
corner of Conkey and Clifford Avenues
A neighborhood gateway to El Camino
Partnership of Genesee Land Trust, group
14521, Ibero Development
and City of Rochester.
Neighboring elementary
students planted flowers.
Conkey Corner Park
Genesee Land Trust
Conservation Easements
 Voluntary conservation agreements that protect
wildlife habitat and working farmland while
remaining privately owned.
 In “perpetuity”
 Use of land is limited to activities as described in
the easement
 Holder of easement monitors and enforces the
easement -- stewardship
 Landowner manages land, controls access and
can sell or transfer but CE stays with property
Genesee Land Trust
Conservation Easements
Alasa Farms
Albright Farm
Amy's Ponds &
Hundred Acre Wood
Crowfields Farm
Devil's Cove
Gordon Farm
Gosnell Big Woods
Island Cottage Woods
Keyes Farm
Lanning Road
Lincoln Mills
Martin Farm
McNabb property
Penfield Road
Weber Farm
Wilbert Farm
Gosnell Big Woods (Webster)
 In 2006, Tom and Georgia
Gosnell donated a
conservation easement
to the Genesee Land
Trust on the 69 acres of
the Big Woods, and then
donated that land to
Webster. The Town also
purchased 94 acres (the
Big Field and Small
Woods) from the
Gosnell’s.
Gosnell Big Woods
Natural History Significance
 Old Growth Woods
 One of four in Monroe County,
others < 25 acres
 Migratory Bird Habitat
 International focus on declining
migratory bird habitat between
South America and Canada
 Big Field
Statewide concern for loss of
open fields >35 acres that
provide breeding bird habitat
for vulnerable species
Amy’s Ponds & Hundred Acre Wood
187 acres in Ontario
Wildlife ponds, wetlands, mature woodlands,
deciduous and evergreen plantations.
Critical migratory bird habitat is located here,
near the shores of
Lake Ontario.
Open fields and >1000
feet of Deer Creek
Alasa Farms
627 acres of farmland, wetlands, creeks,
mature woods with historic Shaker buildings
On the southern shore of Sodus Bay
Home to rare and endangered wildlife and
nesting bald eagles and osprey
Provides open resting area for migrating birds
Home to Cracker Box Palace animal sanctuary
Designated a “Seven to Save” property by the
Preservation League of New York
Alasa Farms
Alasa Farms
Home of Cracker Box Palace
A farm animal rescue and rehabilitation
organization with >100 animals
Historic Shaker community; original ~1800
barns still in use; other buildings used for
educational purposes
Trails in progress
Farms
Keyes
129 acres in Walworth
Crowfields
105 acres in Arcadia
Albright
339 acres in Ontario
Gordon
11 acres in Pittsford
Wilbert
167 acres in Walworth
McNabb
48 acres in Mendon
Weber
123 acres in Walworth
Other Conservation Easements
Devil’s Cove
2.3 acres in Webster
Lanning Road
34 acres in Mendon
Lincoln Mills
5 acres in Penfield
and Perinton
Island Cottage
3 acres in Greece
Penfield Road
5 acres in Penfield
Town of Macedon Farmland
Protection Properties
Similar to Conservation Easement
Farms protected by a partnership between
Genesee Land Trust and Town of Macedon
Jozwiak, Marvin and Rogers Farms
Protecting nearby habitats
Preserving working farms
Genesee Land Trust
585-256-2130
www.geneseelandtrust.org
Stewarding the land for the future