The Finger Lakes Land Trust announced this week it has accepted the donation of a conservation easement from Rochester resident Jim Minor that will forever conserve 208 acres in the town of Hector, Schuyler County. Located between the Finger Lakes National Forest and Connecticut Hill Wildlife Management Area, the property provides a scenic backdrop to State Route 228.
Almost entirely situated within the Taughannock Creek and Cayuga Lake watersheds, the property is a mosaic of woodlands and scenic meadows which support a diversity of wildlife including bobcat, fox, and Wild Turkey.
Jim and his late wife Barbara purchased the land in 1994 to try their hand at forest and habitat management. An active member and former president of the New York Forest Owners Association, Jim worked with a professional forester to develop a management plan to enhance wildlife habitat and timber stands on the property.
“When we first saw this property over a quarter-century ago my wife, Barbara, and I appreciated it as it was in the beautiful Finger Lakes region which we loved,” said Jim Minor. “We want to preserve what we experienced so that future generations will benefit from what the property has to offer.”
Conservation easements are voluntary legal agreements that permanently limit future land use in order to protect the land’s conservation value. Lands subject to conservation easements remain in private ownership, on local tax rolls, and available for traditional uses such as farming and hunting.
By working cooperatively with landowners and local communities, the Finger Lakes Land Trust has protected over 27,0000 acres of the region’s undeveloped lakeshore, rugged gorges, rolling forest, and scenic farmland. The FLLT owns and manages a network of over 45 nature preserves that are open to the public and holds perpetual conservation easements on 164 properties that remain in private ownership.
The FLLT focuses on protecting critical habitat for fish and wildlife, conserving lands that are important for water quality, connecting existing conservation lands, and keeping prime farmland in agriculture. The organization also provides programs to educate local governments, landowners, and residents about conservation and the region’s unique natural resources.
Information on the region’s premier destinations for outdoor recreation may be found at www.gofingerlakes.org, a resource created by the FLLT to encourage people to get outdoors. Additional information about the Finger Lakes Land Trust may be found at www.fllt.org.
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