The Finger Lakes Land Trust was founded in 1989 to protect those lands that define the character of the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. To date, the Land Trust has protected more than 10,000 acres of the region's wetlands, forests, farmland, grassland, and gorges. This has been accomplished through the establishment of nature preserves that are open to the public for quiet recreation, the use of conservation easements (voluntary agreements on private lands), and the provision of technical assistance and educational programs to local governments, landowners, and the public.