Last Wednesday I attended the final Rose Cafe of the year and heard Andy Zepp speak from the Finger Lakes Land Trust. I think it is oftentimes easy to forget that we are going to school in a really incredible place. Ithaca is beautiful and we have access to gorges, waterfalls, and the Finger Lakes. I grew up in Rochester, NY so I have always known that the Finger Lakes existed and are a huge feature of New York. However I didn’t realize how difficult it is to maintain the land around the Finger Lakes and this is what Andy Zepp and his team at the Trust do. The Trust will purchase large areas of land around the Finger Lakes and help preserve the area (like maintaining hiking trails) so that people can enjoy the area when they visit. I was surprised to hear though that the Trust makes these purchases from donations that they get from private donors and their fundraising efforts. He also spoke about maintaining a balance between enjoying the land and using it recreationally, and then also using the land for farming for example.

Overall I am glad that I attended this final Rose Cafe, especially since this was a topic that I was not expecting to hear about but I found it really interesting. It was almost embarrassing to realize how little I knew about the amazing area that we live in, but I am glad that I was able to learn about it now.