What is the mission of the Genesee Land Trust?
Our mission is to conserve natural land and water for the benefit of the greater Rochester region — providing wildlife habitat, supporting local farms and food, and creating connections to nature.
How and when did the Genesee Land Trust get started?
Genesee Land Trust was started in 1989 by a group of individuals concerned about the loss of natural lands in their communities across the Rochester region. We work to protect native plant and wildlife habitat, wetlands, farmland, and waterways, as well as scenic and recreational areas. We understand that land protection, like clean water, is important to our quality of life. We all need nature!
What kinds of programming and services does the Genesee Land Trust offer to local families?
Genesee Land Trust has protected more than 5,000 acres of land in Monroe and Wayne counties. We have created 14 nature preserves open to the public, partnered with towns to develop three nature parks, and act as the friends of the 2.2-mile El Camino Trail in Rochester.
We also host many nature walks, events, and family-friendly activities primarily on protected lands. Carol and David Southby of the Rochester Butterfly Club will lead a “Butterflies and Summer Flowers” nature walk through the Ganargua Creek Meadow Preserve at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 29. Families can also join a two-mile “Summer Habitat Walk” through a 115-acre preserve in Rush to discover butterflies, birds, flowers, and learn a little geology at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 10.
Families can also volunteer for the Genesee Land Trust, helping out with trail work, invasive plant control and trash pickup.
Tell us about Genesee Land Trust’s community partnerships.
We partnered with the city of Rochester to create the Thomas R. Frey Trail at El Camino and Conkey Corner Park. We work with the Ibero-American Development Corp. and Project HOPE and Conkey Cruisers to host events and programs in the El Camino neighborhood.
We also work with local townships. We partnered with the town of Brighton to save Corbett’s Glen, the town of Parma to conserve Martin Farm, and the town of Webster to preserve Gosnell Big Woods Preserve.
Genesee Land Trust also preserves lands in partnership with non-profit organizations, including Cracker Box Palace, a farm-animal rescue and rehabilitation center in Sodus; Peacework Farm, an organic CSA in Arcadia; and Braddock Bay Bird Observatory, a bird-banding research station in Greece.
We also participate in the Wegmans “Passport to Family Wellness” program. Eleven of our trails are found in the pocket-sized trail “passport” book, which offers easy-to-read maps, fitness tips, and motivation in the form of prizes for trails hiked and recorded in the booklets.
Share Genesee Land Trust’s vision for the future.
Genesee Land Trust continues to conserve land and create new trails across the region. We are currently working to conserve four family farms around the region totaling more than 1,000 acres. From apples to butternut squash, local farmers grow a variety of foods. In the Rochester area, we have some of the best soils in the world for farming and plenty of water.
We are also working to fill in the gap on the Thomas R. Frey Trail at El Camino in the city, transforming an old railroad trestle into a walking and biking path across the Genesee River, with stunning views of the river and city skyline.
Where can parents learn more and get involved?
We would love your input about how to encourage young families to explore our preserves and special places. If you are interested in getting involved to develop activities and brainstorm ideas, please let me know. You can reach me, Gay Mills, at
gm****@ge**************.org
.
To learn more about local lands, events, work parties, and other programming, visit us online at geneseelandtrust.org.
We thank Executive Director Gay Mills for sharing these answers to our questions about Genesee Land Trust so we could shine this much-deserved spotlight on its work and programs.
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