FL Land Trust aims to create greenbelt on southern half of Skaneateles Lake

Auburn Citizen, link to original post

The Finger Lakes Land Trust launched an effort to create a greenbelt of undeveloped lands that will ultimately extend around the southern half of Skaneateles Lake, ensuring the integrity of the area’s scenic landscapes and also helping to maintain Skaneateles’ and the city of Syracuse’s drinking water supply.

The project was launched with the recent donation of a conservation easement on 31 acres of mature woodland overlooking the lake by landowners John and Robin Hinchcliff. The Land Trust has also successfully negotiated a contract to purchase 200 adjacent acres from Bill and Leonard Burns. Both properties are located in the town of Spafford.

The Hinchcliff conservation easement ensures that a steep, forested hillside overlooking Skaneateles Lake will remain undeveloped. The property includes frontage on Randall Gulf Creek – a significant tributary to the Lake. Conservation easements are legal agreements that limit future development while allowing land to remain in private ownership, and on the tax rolls.

“This land has been returning to woodlands for almost a century,” says easement donor John Hinchcliff. “It’s been untouched for my entire lifetime, and much further back. He adds that “we admire the Land Trust’s long-range vision to build an emerald necklace around the lake. It would be a spectacular recreational resource and a great way to protect the area’s pristine woodlands and waters.”

The proposed acquisition from the Burns family consists of hillside forests and meadows that extend for more than a mile, overlooking Skaneateles Lake’s eastern

Take A Hike – Finger Lakes NY

shore. The property features scenic views of the Lake and includes several rugged gorges, and half of Randall’s Gulf – a large ravine that extends to the lakeshore. The acquisition also includes a 4,000 foot corridor that links the larger parcel to the nearby Ripley Hill Nature Preserve, which is owned by the Central New York Land Trust. The property is located near the Land Trust’s 130-acre High Vista Nature Preserve.

Once acquired, the Land Trust intends to develop a network of hiking trails on the land along with a parking area, scenic overlook, and on-site interpretation of the land’s natural and agricultural history. A $1 million fundraising goal has been set for the project to cover the cost of acquisition, as well as site improvements, and long-term management.

Take Your Bike – Finger Lakes

The Land Trust has completed five other projects within the proposed greenbelt, which extends from the mouth of Bear Swamp Creek on the west side of the lake to the Staghorn Cliffs on the east side. The area is widely recognized for its spectacular scenery and much of it is also recognized by the National Audubon Society as one of New York’s Important Bird Areas. In its relatively undeveloped state, the greenbelt also plays a vital role in helping to maintain water quality within

200 Waterfalls in Central & Western NY

Skaneateles Lake. Recreational resources include the extensive multi-use trails for Bear Swamp State Forest, popular Carpenter’s Falls and undeveloped shoreline that is enjoyed by residents and visitors alike.

“The steep slopes cradling the lake and Grout Brook are critically important to the lake’s ecosystem,” says retired SUNY-ESF lake scientist and Land Trust board member Bob Werner. “Add to that the idea of an emerald necklace wrapping around the south end and you have the beginnings of a vision for the future of this wonderful area.”

To hike, bike, or explore waterfalls mentioned here, pick up guidebooks from Footprint Press.

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First Talks and Treks Series: “Birds Everywhere” in Dryden, May 5

Finger Lakes Land Trust will host “Birds Everywhere” at 8 a.m. on May 5 at the Roy H. Park Preserve in Dryden.

The event is being held as a kick off to the Finger Lakes Land Trust’s Talks and Treks, a series of guided walks, led by volunteer naturalists, to the region’s natural areas that help educate youth and adults about the natural and cultural history of the Finger Lakes. This event’s guest speaker is Mark Chao.

Take A Hike – Finger Lakes NY

Events are free and open to the public. For more information, call 607-275-9487 or visit www.fllt.org.

Guidebooks at footprintpress.com.

Birding in Central & Western NY

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Finger Lakes Land Trust Acquisition Helps Protect Historic Bare Hill Overlooking Canandaigua Lake

The Land Trust has acquired a 13.5-acre parcel located near the summit of Bare Hill – an iconic landmark on the east side of Canandaigua Lake. The property is located on Van Epps

Take A Hike – Finger Lakes

Road in the Town of Middlesex, Yates County – adjacent to the entrance to New York State’s Bare Hill Unique Area. (Go hike this unique hill using the guidebook “Take A Hike – Family Walks in New York’s Finger Lakes Region.”)

The Land Trust identified the parcel as a priority for protection due to its location near the summit of the hill and next to the primary entrance to the State Unique Area. The organization intends to sell the property to the State as an addition to the Unique Area at some point in the future when funds are available. The property is entirely forested with a mix of oak-hickory forest and planted conifers.

Bare Hill is well known in the area as the scenic ridge that rises 865 feet above Canandaigua Lake’s eastern shore just north of Vine Valley. Old photos show that the area was indeed “bare” in the past but today it is largely forested, except for its summit which is covered with a mix of meadows and shrub lands. One Seneca legend has it that the writhing of a great serpent swept the hill of its trees and bushes until it was bare. Whatever the cause, Bare Hill is notable for its shallow soils that are susceptible to drought stress most summers.

The Land Trust was able to take advantage of this opportunity through a generous donation of funds from an anonymous donor who cares deeply about the future of Canandaigua Lake and its surrounding rural landscapes. This is the second project the Land Trust has completed at Bare Hill. In 2007, the organization worked in partnership with the Town of Gorham and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation to acquire a 95-acre parcel on Bare Hill’s northern flank.

Elsewhere in the Canandaigua Lake Watershed, the Land Trust worked with partners to complete five other land protection projects during 2012: the protection of two farms in Canandaigua and a hillside meadow in South Bristol through the use of conservation easements (perpetual legal agreements that limit development while allowing the land to remain in private ownership); the acquisition of streamside wetlands in partnership with the Town of Canandaigua, and the acquisition of a 32-acre addition to the organization’s Great Hill Nature Preserve in the Town of Italy, Yates County.

source: FLLT web site

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Peaceful Pathways at Stevenson Forest Preserve, Enfield NY

By Rob Montana | Ithaca.com, link to original post

There’s something about taking a walk in the woods – something that brings out a peaceful feeling in a person.

Maybe it’s the elimination of the bustle of everyday life. Maybe it’s the beautiful views of vegetation and wildlife. Maybe it’s the cathedral-like canopy of the treetops towering above one’s head.

For whatever reasons the woods bring calmness, they can all be found at the Stevenson Forest Preserve.

Located just outside Ithaca in Enfield, this Finger Lakes Land Trust’s protected land encompasses 83 acres, featuring a trail slightly more than a mile long. The pathways to chose from include a section of the Finger Lakes Trail and the Stevenson Trail.

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Getting to the preserve is an easy task, and there’s a clearly designated parking area on Trumbull Corners Road. A sign for Stevenson Forest Preserve greets hikers; off to the right is a marker denoting the presence of the Finger Lakes Trail as well. (The full trail runs 558 miles from Allegany State Park to the Long Path in Catskill Forest Preserve.)

Following that path takes one along a stream on the left, winding the way alongside a hilly incline to the right. A kiosk with a logbook and information about the Finger Lakes trail, including maps and tips, sits a short way into the woods.

The trail continues until it abruptly butts up against posted private property. A large log provides ample sitting room with a look at a rocky section of the stream, as well as a manmade grouping of large rocks.

The steepest section of the trail commences here, as it takes a 90-degree turn to the right, leading straight up the hill. This is where the path becomes less dirt covered, turning into a carpet of needles and leaves, unspoiled from the winter season because of the dense umbrella of leaves in the tall trees populating this section of the preserve.

At the top of the climb, the trail (it’s the Finger Lakes Trail at this point) – which is clearly marked with white blazes on tree trunks – turns to the right again. A short distance ahead the appearance of a blue blaze on a tree trunk – pointing to the left – brings you to the start of the Stevenson Trail. (The Finger Lakes Trail continues straight ahead through more of the woods.)

The suggestion here would be to take the Stevenson Trail, if only for what is found at the end of the path.

Taking the blue route, the trail becomes almost moguled and covered with tree roots jutting out, then evens out into a nice pathway again as one walks through the trees, these are much smaller and clearly less mature than the titans encountered during the first part of the hike.

The sunlight that is quite muted, save for glimpses of sky, during the Finger Lakes Trail section, grows brighter as the trail nears the edge of the woods. Leaving the woods, tall grasses line the path for a short distance, and then the path enters a small wooded section.

Almost as quickly, the wooded area ends and a breathtaking view appears, with tall grass stretching for miles, distant communities visible on the far-off hills. It’s well worth the hike to see the sight, and a bench – marked in loving memory for Martha W. Baldwin (1924-2006) and Peter E. Costich (1925-2005), with the logo of Troop 4 Eagle from Ithaca and the Finger Lakes Land Trust – offers a nice, high-backed place to sit.

According to the Finger Lakes Land Trust, the original 25 acres of the preserve were owned by the Stevenson family of Enfield dating back to just after the Revolutionary War. Thirty-four years ago, the land was inherited by Elizabeth Stevenson Bennett, who later opted to donate it to the Finger Lakes Land Trust after being approached by Michael DeMunn, a consulting forester for the Finger Lakes Land Trust at the time, and FLLT volunteer Betsy Darlington, who currently serves as the organization’s stewardship advisor.

The original 25 acres became the first section of the preserve in 1995; later additions of property in 1998 and 1999 increased the acreage to 83 acres. Those additions came thanks to Percy Browning, who bought land to donate it and added 18 acres to the total, and anonymous grant that paved the way for the acquisition of 40 more acres.

Among the vegetation visible in the preserve, according to the FLLT, are Indian cucumber-root, Jack-in-the-pulpit, starflower and horse balm. There also are several ponds in the preserve; the migration of spotted salamanders can be seen in early spring and wood frogs also may be spotted breeding in the ponds.

For more information about the Stevenson Forest Preserve, visit the Finger Lakes Land Trust website at fllt.org and look under the Protected Lands section.

If you go …
Acres: 83
Trail distance: Approximately 1 mile

Directions from Ithaca: Take Route 13 South to Route 327 North. Follow Route 327 N, and then take a left on Trumbull Corners Road. The parking area for the Stevenson Forest Preserve is about a half mile down the road on the right.

For many places to hike in the Ithaca NY area, pick up a copy of the guidebookTake A Hike – Family Walks in New York’s Finger Lakes Region.

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Finger Lakes Land Trust adds 127 acres near Montezuma Refuge

The Finger Lakes Land Trust received its 83rd conservation easement and second in Cayuga County after recently acquiring 127 acres east of the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge.

Owned by Kathryn Whitehorne in the Town of Aurelius, the property features 40 acres of wetlands, according to the Ithaca-based Land Trust. A small stream that flows from the tract enters the refuge. The property also includes more than a mile of undeveloped frontage on Laraway Road.

Conservation easements are legal agreements that limit development while allowing land to remain in private ownership and on the tax rolls. Easements are binding on future owners of the land and are monitored by the Land Trust to ensure compliance with the terms of the agreement. Easement donors are eligible for both state and federal tax benefits provided that certain criteria are met, according to the Land Trust.

source: Ithaca Journal

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Land gift and partnership lead to Skaneateles area nature preserve

By David Figura/The Post-Standard, link to original post

The Central New York Land Trust (CNYLT) and the Finger Lakes Land Trust (FLLT) April 13 announced their successful partnership with landowner Janice Hinman to ensure the permanent protection of her hilltop property in the Town of Spafford, Onondaga County. The property encompasses 118 acres of field and forest located at the summit of Ripley Hill – the highest point within the watershed of Skaneateles Lake.

Hinman donated the land to the Central New York Land Trust with the understanding that the Finger Lakes Land Trust will hold and monitor legal restrictions that require that the land be managed as a public nature preserve. Both groups worked together to complete the transaction.

The Hinman property is particularly diverse, featuring a scenic hilltop meadow as well as hardwood forests of beech and maple, and hemlock dominated forests that feature an extensive network of vernal pools – seasonal wetlands that provide habitat for amphibians and other animals.

The tract is part of a growing network of conserved lands on the east side of Skaneateles Lake. The property is located approximately one mile northeast of the FLLT’s High Vista Preserve, (one of many placed mapped & described for hiking in the guidebook Take A Hike – Family Walks in New York’s Finger Lakes Region) and approximately 4 miles southeast of the CNYLT’s High Hickory Nature Preserve.

During the coming months, the Central New York Land Trust will develop a management plan for the site, which will be known as the Ripley Hill Nature Preserve. The site will be open to the public for hiking and wildlife watching during daylight hours.

“This is an incredible gift,” says CNYLT Executive Director Jeff Devine. “Janice Hinman’s gift has not only established our 47th nature preserve but also creates our first joint land protection project with the Finger Lakes Land Trust.”

“We are grateful to Janice Hinman for her commitment to the land,” adds FLLT Executive Director Andrew Zepp. “We’re also delighted to have the opportunity to work in partnership with the Central New York Land Trust to make this scenic natural area accessible to the public.”

The Central New York Land Trust is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting vital natural areas in Central New York for the health of the environment and the enjoyment of the public. Since its founding in 1972, the Central New York Land Trust has permanently protected more than 2,600 acres in a network of 47 nature preserves. For more information visit the Trust’s Web site.

The Finger Lakes Land Trust works cooperatively with landowners and local communities to conserve those lands that define the character of the Finger Lakes Region. Since it was established in 1989, the organization has permanently protected more than 12,000 acres of significant open space through the establishment of public conservation areas and the protection of privately owned lands through the use of conservation easements. Additional information about the Land Trust may be found at its Web site.

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Finger Lakes Land Trust acquires 65 acres on Cayuga Lake

Source: The Ithaca Journal, link to original post

The Finger Lakes Land Trust has acquired a 65-acre piece of land with 1,400 feet of undeveloped Cayuga Lake shoreline in Romulus and plans to combine it with an adjoining preserve and provide public access.

The land is on the west side of Cayuga Lake across from Aurora and Wells College and features frontage on both sides of the Cayuga Lake Scenic Byway on Route 89 and diverse wildlife habitats, including mature woods, meadows and a gorge, according to the organization.

The Land Trust obtained the land from the Van Riper and Moran families, who made it available for what the Land Trust said was significantly less than market value. The Land Trust used gifts from several individuals and a low-interest loan from the Norcross Wildlife Foundation.

To replenish its acquisition fund and pay back the foundation’s loan and to pay for acquisition costs, public-access improvements and long-term site management, the Ithaca-based conservation organization has set a goal to raise $1.2 million. It had secured $900,000 in gifts and pledges, including a $400,000 grant from the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

Regional state parks director Tim Joseph noted that the state has identified public access to waterfronts as a top priority for land acquisitions, according to the Land Trust.

The Van Riper-Moran tract borders the Land Trust’s 15-acre Whitlock Nature Preserve, which has 500 feet of shoreline. The Land Trust plans a parking area along Route 89 and a hiking trail.

The shoreline has a modest bluff but is mostly level with a pebbled beach and is likely well-known to kayakers and other boaters who frequent that part of the lake, Land Trust Executive Director Andrew Zepp said.

The Land Trust also has a conservation easement on 47 wooded acres on the other side the lake, in the Town of Lansing.

“Residents and visitors alike will soon have the opportunity to visit the shore of Cayuga Lake and see how it looked before settlement,” Zepp said. “There is very little undeveloped shoreline left and we’re grateful to the Van Riper and Moran families for deciding in favor of conservation rather than development in this case.”

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Donation boosts acreage at Shindagin Hollow

by Dave Henderson, Ithaca Journal, link to original post

A donation from a local family has resulted in 21 acres in Tompkins County being added to Shindagin Hollow State Forest. The property, located in Caroline, was donated by the Finger Lakes Land Trust, which received it from the Douglas Fitchen family.

The property is within one of the county’s largest blocks of contiguous forests and features trees that are more than 150 years old and several uncommon plants.

Located within the “Emerald Necklace,” an arc of forested hills and valleys extending from the Ithaca area, the property met state’s and the Land Trust’s definitions of land important to preserve.

The property represents part of a 101-acre parcel the Land Trust received as a gift from the Fitchens, who donated the land in their father’s name. The remaining 80 acres will be sold with a perpetual conservation easement providing for sustainable timber harvest and the construction of a single home. Further subdivision is prohibited.

Shindagin Hollow Forest covers more than 5,000 acres in southern Tompkins and northern Tioga counties. Its size and easy access from public roads make it ideal for hunting, hiking, mountain biking, cross-country skiing, bird watching and camping.

More information is available at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/64136.html. For more information about the New York State Open Space Conservation Plan, go to: http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/47990.html.

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Land Trust Conserves Conklin Gully/Parish Glen Land

By Julie Sherwood, Daily Messenger, link to original post

A family from Illinois has sold 72 acres of forest — encompassing half of Conklin/Parish Gully in Yates County, near Naples — to the Finger Lakes Land Trust. This once privately owned property borders acreage deemed a priority in the state Department of Environmental Conservation’s open-space plan, and it has been identified by the National Audubon Society as an “Important Bird Area,” said Andrew Zepp, the land trust’s executive director.

While the hill’s dense forest and gully don’t lend it to large, sweeping developments like you see around Canandaigua Lake, said Zepp, it has continued to attract those seeking sites to build individual homes. That type of development creates “lots of little cuts,” he said, “fragmenting the habitat and altering the scenic character.”

Because of this threat, the land trust moved quickly to purchase the property, said Zepp. The land trust bought it from the Murray Family Trust. The Murray family, from Illinois, are descendants of the Parish family for whom Parish Hill is named, he said, adding that they were glad to meet their financial goals in selling the property while preserving this prize land.

The acreage borders the DEC’s High Tor Wildlife Management Area on three sides and includes 2,000 feet of frontage on Parish Hill Road in the town of Italy, Yates County.

The land trust intends to ultimately convey the land to the state as an addition to the wildlife management area. Such transactions can take years, however. Meanwhile, the land trust needs to raise $100,000 to pay for the land purchase and associated fees, as well as its expenses related to its ongoing management of the property.

A series of fund-raising hikes in the region, including through the newly acquired Conklin/Parish Gully, will help pay for the land trust’s ongoing preservation projects — including this one, said Zepp.

The Finger Lakes Land Trust was established in 1989 to work cooperatively with landowners and local communities to permanently protect lands that define the character of the Finger Lakes region. To date, the organization has permanently protected more than 10,000 acres of the region’s most significant open spaces through direct acquisition, use of conservation-easement agreements, and technical assistance to local municipalities and other non-profit organizations.

The acquisition of 72 acres of Conklin/Parish Gully is the land trust’s fourth adjacent to High Tor.
Two earlier acquisitions make up the organization’s 230-acre Great Hill Nature Preserve, on the east side of Canandaigua Lake, and a recently acquired 18 acres bordering West River off Sunnyside Road in Yates County.

To take a strenuous hike around the perimeter of Conklin Gully/Parish Glen pick up a copy of the guidebook “Take A Hike – Family Walks in New Yorks’ Finger Lakes Region. ” To creek-walk up the heart of Conklin Gully/Parish Glen use the guidebook “200 Waterfalls in Central & Western New York – A Finders’ Guide.”

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Carpenter Falls

Click here to see photos & read about the visit Jen & her greyhounds made to Carpenter Falls.

Spring time is a great time to visit this wonderful waterfall as spring snow melt and spring rains combine to plummet off the caprock. It’s one of the many waterfalls mapped & described in “200 Waterfalls in Central & Western New York – A Finders’ Guide.”

While at Jen’s blog, check out her previous posts describing her many hikes.

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