The Land Trust is expanding its 537-acre Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve in West Danby. The recent acquisition of 9 acres represents the 13th addition to the preserve, protects an active Great Blue Heron rookery, and falls within a Tompkins County Unique Natural Area. See the campaign page at www.fllt.org/biodiversity.
This latest acquisition also features frontage on a kettle lake that hosts waterfowl, beaver, and a variety of other wildlife. The Land Trust intends to create a wetland viewing area to give people of all abilities an easy opportunity to observe wildlife at the site.
Photo: Chris Ray
The Land Trust has been strategically expanding the preserve, which was originally established in 1995 as the world’s first temperate zone reserve for bioprospecting—the investigation of naturally occurring plant and animal compounds for their medicinal value. Initially only 36 acres, the preserve has grown, and now spans the floodplain and steep slopes of the Cayuga Inlet valley, extending nearly to the peaks known as Thatcher’s Pinnacles in Danby State Forest. Glacier-carved kettle ponds, forests, meadows, and wetlands define this preserve that is home to a diverse variety of flora and fauna.
A $66,000 fundraising campaign is currently underway to cover costs associated with the protection and management of the site. To make a gift in support of this project, please visit www.fllt.org/biodiversity or contact Director of Development and Communications Kelly Makosch at (607) 275-9487 or kellymakosch@fllt.org.
