The Finger Lakes Land Trust (FLLT) was joined by conservation-minded partner organizations in Albany, NY, on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, to meet with state legislators in the first-ever “Finger Lakes Advocacy Day.”

Representatives from 15 regional watershed associations, land trusts, and conservation agencies gathered to advocate for strengthened investments to protect the Finger Lakes and the quality of life for residents and visitors.

Meetings with lawmakers included calls for sustained funding for programs that reduce nutrient pollution, protect drinking water supplies, and maintain forests and other lands that naturally filter runoff. A focus on investments in research, land conservation, stormwater management, agricultural best management practices, and water infrastructure was designed to address the perennial threat of harmful algal blooms and create effective strategies for protecting water quality and public health.

Each year, outbreaks of cyanobacteria, also known as toxic algae or harmful algal blooms, continue to affect all eleven Finger Lakes. These blooms threaten drinking water, as well as a multi-billion-dollar tourism economy across Central New York.

Groups in attendance to join the call for action included the Canandaigua Lake Watershed Association, Cayuga Lake Watershed Network, Cayuga Lake Watershed Intermunicipal Organization, Central New York Land Trust, Community Science Institute, Finger Lakes Land Trust, Finger Lakes Institute at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, New York State Federation of Lake Associations, Honeoye Valley Association, Otisco Lake Preservation Association, Owasco Watershed Lake Association, Seneca Lake Pure Waters, Seneca Lake Watershed Intermunicipal Organization, Skaneateles Lake Association, Tompkins County Water Resource Board, and students from Cornell University.