Regional Overview
The Finger Lakes region of
New York is an area made up of 14 different counties and is located in west
central New York just south of Lake Ontario (McDonnell). It is called the Finger Lakes because of the 11
different lakes that are in this area; however the lakes are not the only
unique part about this region. The
region also provides fertile soil for farming as well as landscapes that were
shaped by glaciers thousands of years ago.
The rock underneath the Finger Lake region is composed
mostly of several types of sedimentary rocks.
These rocks include limestone, shale, and sandstone among others
(McDonnell). This is similar to other
areas the state because around 500 million years ago New York state was covered
by water. However the features that
makes the Finger Lakes region unique from other parts of New York was caused
predominantly by glacial coverage during the last ice age. In addition to the glaciers cutting through
the earth to form the eleven different lakes the glaciers also left behind many
other landscape features that occur here (Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance). One feature that is common throughout the
area is drumlins (McDonnell). A drumlin
is a long gentle hill formed by glacial sediment. The drumlins in the Finger Lakes are
generally found more to the north of the lakes themselves (McDonnell). There are also numerous gorges in the area as
well as glacial moraines. One moraine in
particular plays a significant role in the geography of this landscape; this is
called the Valley Heads Moraine (McDonnell).
This is a large wall of debris that was left behind by the glacier and
blocks drainage of water from the Finger Lakes to the south. This means that the Finger Lakes actually
drain north into Lake Ontario and everything south of the Valley Heads Moraine
drains south into Pennsylvania (McDonnell).
This region relies heavily on tourism for its economy as
well as farming. One of the most popular
reasons people come to visit here is its many wineries (Finger Lakes Tourism
Alliance). The areas topography makes it
ideal for growing grapes. Its fertile
soils are one aspect of this but what really creates these ideal conditions is
its proximity to the water. Because the
area is close to Lake Ontario as well as other smaller lakes the temperature is
more moderated making it easier for grapes to grow (Scheller). This means that in the summer the water keeps
the area cooler longer in the spring and warmer longer in the winter creating a
less dramatic swing in temperatures throughout the year. Within the Finger Lakes there are hundreds of
wineries where people go to visit and taste the wine brining tourism to many of
the small towns throughout the region (Scheller).
Finally the Lakes themselves are also a big attraction
for tourists who come to get away and enjoy the scenery of the area. The Finger Lakes are all similar in shape,
long and narrow and they run parallel with each other north to south giving the
impression of a large hand. Lake Seneca
is the Deepest of all 11 lakes at 618 feet which makes it the second deepest in
New York State (Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance). Overall the Finger Lakes region
is a very unique area of the state with many different geographical features
that make it unique from other areas of New York.
Works Cited
"Lake Information." Finger Lakes Regional
Tourism Authority on Places to Stay, Where to Eat and Things to Do - Finger
Lakes Tourism Alliance. Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance. Web. 19 Feb. 2012.
<http://www.fingerlakes.org>.
McDonnell, Timothy. "Finger Lakes Region." Geography
of New York State. Web. 19 Feb. 2012. <http://www.nygeo.org>.
Scheller, William. "Road Trip: New York's Finger
Lakes." National Geographic. Web. 19 Feb. 2012.
Environmental Links
This site will give you many different things pertaining
to the Finger Lakes Region. The site
will provide the reader with general information
about the region including information about specific counties within the
Finger Lakes. This type of information
includes how to get there, as well as many different things to do for tourists
once they arrive. This region’s economy
is largely based around tourism and this site lists numerous things to do for
tourists. Some of the things listed
include museums, vineyards, restaurants and much more. This site was published by The Finger Lakes
Tourism Alliance and designed to help promote tourism within the region and
make it easier for tourists to make the decision to visit the Finger Lakes
Region.
This site was published by the New York State Office of
Parks, Recreation & Historic Prevention and is geared towards tourists or
local people who are looking for good state parks within the region to use for
recreation. The site describes what the
area has to offer to those looking to experience nature by hiking, camping, or
a day at the beach. The site then offers
a list of all the state parks within the Finger Lakes region. In addition to state parks the site offers
information on historical sites within the park such as Ganondagan State
Historic Site which is located at a 17th century Seneca Indian
Village. The parks website also includes
local golf courses that can be found in the Finger Lakes region.
One of the biggest environmental issues in the Finger
Lakes region is the possibility of hydrofracking to drill for natural gas. This website is published by energy from
shale and is designed to give worried citizens a bit more piece of mind when
thinking about allowing hydrofracking into their home towns. The website explains the benefits of fracking,
how it is
done, and also some risks
that come with the introduction of fracking.
Although the site does not go in depth specifically about the Finger
Lakes region it does explain the Marcellus Shale which
is the formation that contains the natural gas beneath the Finger Lakes and
makes it such a valuable landscape to oil companies.
This site discusses the problem of fracking more from the
perspective of a resident of the Finger Lakes rather than from a corporate view
of what the risks and benefits are. This
site brings up many more negative effects that the fracking could have on the
region. One main concern is that the
hydrofracking could ruin the landscape and prevent the Finger Lakes from being
a main tourist destination in New York, not to mention the other effects that
it could have on farmers and wineries in the area. The website provides a list of accidents as well
from other states were fracking is occurring, showing that laws and regulations
on fracking aren’t a guarantee for safety.
Although the site does show many negatives that come with fracking it
does give some of the more positive views
about it as well.
This site is designed for people who are looking to learn
more about different landscapes throughout the state of New York and is
published by the New York Geographic Alliance.
The site offers information about all areas of New York including the Finger Lakes region. Here it discusses the types of landscapes
that occur in the area and the origins of their formations. It describes the area as you would see it if
you were driving through it from North to South. The site also gives prominent land features
that one would like to see if they were visiting the area. In addition to this information specifically
about the physical geography of the Finger Lakes the site also gives an overview
of the human geography , and economic geography of New York as
a whole and touches on regions within the Finger Lakes providing additional
information about the area.
Economic Links
This
is a PDF of the effects of Tourism within the Finger Lakes region. This was published by Tourism Economics in
2010. This PDF goes in depth on what
type of impact tourism has on the Finger Lakes Region. This report covers a variety of different
aspects of tourism including how much tourists spend, how much employment that
generates, how this stimulates other aspects of the economy and many other
things related to how tourism can affect the Finger Lake region. It also looks at each county individually
within the Finger Lakes and analyzes the role that tourism plays within each of
them. This PDF was probably created for
businesses looking to move into the area to look at to show that tourism plays
a big part in the economy in this area.
This
site Is written and published by the Finger Lakes Economic Development
Center. The purpose of this website is
to provide information about the economy of the Finger Lakes but more
specifically Yates County. The site
gives information about their agribusiness sector as
well as the manufacturing
and viticulture
industries as well as a few others. The
site also gives income and employment information about the residents of Yates
county. The site gives various other
types of information as well including properties for sale in
the area. This site could be used by
many people but may be useful to families looking to move to the area to see
how well it is doing economically and to see what the value of land and homes
are going for.
The
Tompkins county area development site is published by Tompkins County Area
Development. This site provides a
variety of information about the Tomkins County area and how they are working
to develop it further. One way that
TCAD is helping businesses come to this area is a revolving loan fund which helps
startup new businesses. The site also
provides a brief overview of the
area for people who may be interested in moving into the area. This site is definitely geared towards
business owners that are looking to move into this area, the site shows how
they have helped past businesses and what programs they offer for incoming
ones.
The
Cortland County Chamber of Commerce website gives significant information about
jobs and living in Cortland County. The
site gives a list of the major towns
and villages within Cortland County.
This gives also the population of these towns and links to their village
websites. It also provides a link to the
Cortland
Business Development Agency linking people who may be looking into starting
a business here. In addition to this the
site gives you information on local event that may be going on in the area for
example their annual
business showcase held in order to let local business owners promote their
companies. The site also gives
information about numerous other things about Cortland County. This site is meant for the people of Cortland
County to access things going on in the county.
This website “The Shenandoah
Valley Network” is published by them. It
begins to discuss the effects that fracking could have on the Finger Lakes
Region. It also provides a link to a research
project done by a professor at Cornell University. This goes into more depth about the effects
that drilling into the Marcellus Shale could have on the region. Also another link is offered which discusses
how drilling has affected the farming
economy in some areas of Pennsylvania where there has already been drilling in
the Marcellus Shale. This site was made
for people who are concerned about the effects that potential hydrofracking
could have on the current economy of the region which relies heavily on its
beauty for tourism.
Social Links
This
site gives a variety of information about the medical fields within the Finger
Lakes region of New York. The site is
published by Finger Lakes Health and is designed to give people in the area an
ideas about what types of medical care is available for them. One thing that the website gives is a list of
locations of their
facilities in the area. It also has a
place where you can look up a certain Physician's name and contact
information if you are looking for someone in particular. The site offers a number of different health
related information including Patient Satisfaction and
Careers available within the
healthcare fields in the area. This website
seems like it would be very useful to many people living in the Finger
Lakes.
The Finger Lakes CC webpage is published by
the school and is for anyone who may be interested in going to school here or
in the region. Like many schools the
site provides an Admissions page for people
who would like to apply online. It also
has links to its athletics
department for people who are looking to get involved in their athletics
program or have an interest in keeping up with the teams. For incoming students the site has
information on Student Life as
well as a selection of academic
programs they can choose from.
The
Seneca Falls Country Club site provides everything there is to know about this
country club. Many people moving into an
area are interested in the Country Clubs there because of the social aspects
that they bring to everyday life. This
site could provide information to a new potential member or a long time member
on upcoming events and other information.
The site provides information on Membership details and Golf Leagues that
are held at the course. Various other
types of information can be found here as well such as information about the restaurant on
the grounds and the banquet hall
that is also located there. Anyone
visiting, or moving to the area with an interest in golf would surely want to
check out this page.
Cornell
University is one of the most prestigious schools in the United States and is
located within the Finger Lakes region.
This site provides extensive information about the college and what it
has to offer to potential student. The
site would be good for any student or parents of students who are looking to go
there at some point in time. This site
also gives a page where students can find out about Admissions for each
of the Cornell schools. Much like the
FLCC page the website also has a page pertaining to student life where interested
students can find out what it might be like to go there.
This
Planned Parenthood site is the site for the southern Finger Lakes region
covering Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben, and Tompkins counties. This site offers information about what
Planned Parenthood has to offer the surrounding communities. It includes information about how you can pay
for the services provided by Planned Parenthood. There is also a page which gives you information
on how to get
involved with Planned Parenthood. It
also has programs listed that are designed to educate
both children and adults about how to handle certain situations. This webpage even gives information about Job
opportunities within the Planned Parenthood system. This page would be most useful for teens, and
young adults who are looking for certain information or services.
