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Archive for the ‘Emerald Necklace’ Category

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

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

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

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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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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Finger Lakes Land Trust Public meeting – Nov 17
The Finger Lakes Land Trust will host a public information meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 17 in the Danby Town Hall to discuss the future of the trail and other open space and recreational resources within the Emerald Necklace Greenbelt, which is a swath of forested land stretching across the southern half of Tompkins County.

Steward Needed for Eldridge Wilderness
The Nature Conservancy is looking for a steward for its 87-acre parcel on Troy Road in Danby, commonly called the Eldridge Wilderness Tract. Duties would include keeping trails marked and clear of brush, and picking up trash. If interested, contact Gregg Sargis at (585) 546-8030 ext. 34. (The Eldridge Wilderness trail is included in the guidebook Take A Hike – Family Walks in New York’s Finger Lakes Region.)

Danby Park Board Members Needed
The Danby Community Park Association is looking for a few dedicated members to join its board. If you live within the Town of Danby and are interested in the ongoing effort to bring a park and community center to Danby, send a letter of interest by Dec. 1 to the DCPA, 1825 Danby Road, Ithaca, N.Y. 14850.

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