Contact: Gay Mills -- (585) 256-2130 or e-mail:gmills@geneseelandtrust.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Trail Construction at Ganargua Creek Meadow Preserve:
GLT & RIT Combine Forces

ROCHESTER, NY- The Genesee Land Trust and Rochester Institute of Technology students in a project management class will collaborate this weekend to coordinate trail construction at the Ganargua Creek Meadow Preserve on April 25th and 26th. Ganargua Creek Meadow Preserve in Macedon contains a mix of wooded areas, hillside, small wetlands and meadows on both sides of Ganargua Creek.

The new trail will traverse a dramatic 100' drop from the upper woodlands providing access to a lowland meadow. A 23' steel bridge donated by RIT's Civil Engineering Technology program will be constructed at the bottom of the trail to provide access to the meadow.

RIT's Environmental Management students became involved in the project when as a class, they successfully responded to GLT's request for proposals for the design and management of the trail project. The class has recruited over 30 volunteers who will build the new trail over this two-day period. The students will also transplant wildflowers from the proposed trail path and build and install benches along the way.

The Genesee Land Trust acquires environmentally sensitive property, such as woodlands, wetlands, farmlands, meadows, stream corridors, scenic areas, cultural areas, and wildlife habitats, through purchase or landowner donation. Currently, over 600 acres of land owned and managed by The Trust are preserves open to the public for hiking, birdwatching, and exploration.

The Trust also protects land via conservation easements; a legal, voluntary agreement entered into by a landowner to preserve the natural, scenic, historical, or agricultural condition of the land forever. The landowner continues to live, own, and maintain the property, but with the peace of mind that the land will forever be protected from development. Approximately 300 acres of land are permanently protected through conservation easements, including 187 acres along Lake Road in Ontario. The Trust may schedule guided tours on these properties, but they are otherwise not open to the public.
Since its formation in 1989, The Genesee Land Trust has preserved over 1,000 acres of land. One of 1200 land trusts nationwide, the nonprofit organization operates to protect land from development in Monroe and Wayne Counties. Membership fees, grants, and other contributions support the Genesee Land Trust. For more information please contact Gay Mills (585-256-2130) or visit www.glt.org.

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