In response to increasing development pressure in the southern portion of its service area, the Finger Lakes Land Trust assessed the organization’s portion of the Upper Susquehanna watershed for conservation priority areas.  During its 23-year history, the Land Trust has focused much of its land protection efforts in the Great Lakes watershed where threats to natural resources have been greater.  However, nearly 50% of the organization’s service area lies within the Upper Susquehanna watershed and threats to the region from sprawling development patterns, alterations of creeks and wetlands and natural gas development are growing.

By engaging partners throughout this assessment, the Land Trust developed consensus and support among conservation professionals for the priority areas identified herein.  The Land Trust conducted interviews with 30 veterans of conservation and planning to develop our selection criteria and to inform our selection process.  We then gathered existing information produced by The Nature Conservancy, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, New York Audubon, Trout Unlimited, New York State and county planning agencies to develop a list of 11 conservation focus areas.  Drafts of this report were reviewed by several key partners in The Nature Conservancy, The US Fish and Wildlife Service, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Upper Susquehanna Coalition.

Download:  Conservation Focus Areas of the Upper Susquehanna Watershed within the Finger Lakes Land Trust’s Service Area (PDF)