What We Do
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—for everyone.
Connecting to Nature
Linking families to nature across the region. Finding new community conservation opportunities in and across rural, suburban, and urban neighborhoods.
Protecting Critical Habitats
Preserving the best and most unique natural habitats in the region to provide havens for birds, butterflies, and other wildlife now and into the future.
Conserving Local Farms
Protecting family farms on some of the best soils in the world. Working lands add to our community’s heritage, economic prosperity, and local food sources.
How We Do It
Nature Preserves
Genesee Land Trust owns and manages nature preserves across the region for the public to enjoy for generations to come. In addition, we have partnered with towns to create nature parks also open to the public.
Volunteer preserve stewards help monitor each preserve and coordinate the care and management of trails, help manage and enhance natural habitats, and assist with events and other activities on the preserves.
All are welcome to experience and explore these protected places.
Volunteers excited and ready to begin some trail maintenance at Cornwall Preserve in Williamson.
Protected Lands
Landowners work with Genesee Land Trust to conserve their beloved land with a permanent agreement known as a conservation easement. Working lands, such as farmland, often use this tool to restrict future subdivision and development so as to continue to be farmed. Natural lands protected by conservation easement remain undeveloped while being cared for by the private landowner.
When accepting a conservation easement, Genesee Land Trust takes on a responsibility to monitor and enforce the terms of the agreement permanently.
Two farmers, Adam and Larry, worked with Genesee Land Trust to preserve important farmland in Walworth, forever.
Programming & Partnerships
Nature and the out of doors, like clean water, is important to our quality of life. Genesee Land Trust partners to develop new nature parks and public trails, hosts walks and events on natural lands, and facilitates programs on the land for youth and families.
Kids getting ready to walk the family-friendly 5K at El Camino, an annual Genesee Land Trust special event. Photo by Mary Hadley.
Where We Work
Located along Lake Ontario and centered on the City of Rochester, Genesee Land Trust serves Monroe and Wayne Counties and portions of adjacent counties. This region is a mix of urban, suburban, and rural communities.
An area of approximately 1.3 million acres, the residents of the region were historically focused on the significant local water resources—the water power of the Genesee River and its three waterfalls in the City of Rochester; the Erie Canal that crossed fertile farming communities and created prosperous canal towns; and the south shore of Lake Ontario, our North Coast.
Genesee Land Trust’s region touches the service areas of neighboring land trusts:
Finger Lakes Land Trust, based in Ithaca, serving the Finger Lakes watershed of 12 counties,
Genesee Valley Conservancy, based in Geneseo, serving the Genesee River Valley and watershed counties south to the Pennsylvania border,
Western New York Land Conservancy, based in East Aurora, serving the eight western counties of New York, and
Mendon Foundation and Henrietta Foundation serving their respective towns.