Canandaigua & Ithaca Named Conservationists of the Year

Canandaigua Town Manager Doug Finch, FLLT board president Dave Birchenough, State Senator Pam Helming, volunteer Marty Dodge, landowners Duannah Barnum and Suzie Underhill, and FLLT Executive Director Andy Zepp at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the opening of the Canandaigua Vista Nature Preserve in fall 2021. (Photo by Kelly Maksoch courtesy of Finger Lakes Land Trust)

Two area municipalities have received the title of Conservationists of the Year.

The Finger Lakes Land Trust has awarded the titles to Canandaigua and Ithaca for their quick responses to secure significant open space for land and water conservation.

Canandaigua made an addition to it McJannett Park which is located within a planned greenbelt that would connect the Canandaigua Vista Preserve to Onanda Park on the western shore of Canandaigua Lake.

Ithaca acquired property bordering the Cayuga inlet which features significant habitat for fish and wildlife. Located within the proposed Black Diamond Trail extension, the area is planned to connect the city to Robert H Treman State Park.

“We are grateful to both of these communities for their commitment to conservation,” said Land Trust Executive Director Andrew Zepp. “The Land Trust couldn’t possibly succeed in its mission without strong support from communities like Canandaigua and Ithaca.”

Rod Howe, Town of Ithaca Supervisor, Aveek Majumdar, nephew of Tapan Mitra, Andrew Zepp, FLLT Executive Director, Katie Borgella, Tompkins County Director of Planning & Sustainability, and Polly McClure, President of Cayuga Trails Club, at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the dedication of the Tapan Mitra Preserve in Ithaca on June 10, 2023. (Photo by Kelly Maksoch courtesy of Finger Lakes Land Trust)

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