Dr. Andy Zepp came to speak to us about the organization he was a part of, a Land trust. I had heard of other types of trusts prior to this rose cafe, but I had never heard of land trusts. I found his story interesting that he had graduated from ILR here at Cornell and went into marketing before deciding to go back to school and further his interest in the environment.

We learned more about the Finger Lakes Land Trust which works with the government and other private landowners to preserve lands in different regions of the country, mostly in areas around Ithaca. They find land that they believe should be kept and preserved and work out deals with the owners of these lands and the government to see if they are able to subsidize part of the price. The work that they do is important for not just tourists who can enjoy beautiful trails and nature, but also for environmental conservation purposes.

Dr. Zepp showed us many pictures of beautiful landscapes that they helped to preserve including a piece of land interestingly enough, owned previously by a Cornell Professor. I also found it interesting that Land Trusts are not necessary in other countries in Europe since the government has a larger say in how the land is used unlike here in the US. Therefore I believe that the work that Finger Lake Land Trusts, while not widely known, is extremely important in conserving the beautiful lands surrounding us.