By Olivia Green Olivia.green@tnc.org

Since 2018, The Nature Conservancy has taken a science-driven approach to protecting land in the Finger Lakes, preserving 6 properties in the Owasco Lake watershed. In total, the effort protects over 720 acres of headwater wetlands, forests, and farmland to keep runoff out of Owasco Lake, a drinking water source for over 44,000 people threatened by harmful algal blooms. To identify the lands most vital to protecting water quality in the lake, the Conservancy assessed and prioritized all 3,000 parcels in the watershed for attributes that are known to be beneficial for keeping water clean, such as the presence of freshwater wetlands, which can absorb and treat polluted water running off a neighboring property. We also factored in size, location, stream frontage, and slope. Protecting these lands—many of which are quite distant from the lake itself—highlights the outsized role of our headwater wetlands and streams in keeping a lake healthy for people and nature.

In addition to protecting land and water quality, we gifted 4 properties, one to Fillmore Glen State Park, two to the Owasco Lake Watershed Management Council, and one to the DEC for expansion of the Owasco Flats Wildlife Management Area. Having these lands owned and managed by local stewards increases public access to nature, outdoor educational opportunities, restoration efforts, and importantly, local capacity to care for protected land. We’re also leveraging Owasco lands to test reforestation and assisted tree regeneration as natural climate solutions. This work has been funded by a $1.2 million Water Quality Improvement Project grant from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and matching private funds.