More than 280 acres of family-owned land in the Keuka Lake watershed will remain permanently protected under new conservation easements announced today.
The Finger Lakes Land Trust said it accepted three donated conservation easements from sisters Yolanda Adrean and Dolores Wheeler, safeguarding 283 acres in Hammondsport, Steuben County.
Land with deep family roots
The properties sit off Winding Stair Road and include open fields, steep forested hillsides, and small tributaries that flow into Keuka Lake. A section of the Finger Lakes Trail system also crosses the land.
The sisters’ family has owned the land since the early 1900s. The property has a history of grape growing and is now used for recreation, hay production, and cattle pasture. Part of it also hosts the annual Twisted Branch Trail Run, a 100-kilometer race.
“It was the best place to grow up,” Adrean said. “My father said, ‘They’re never going to make more land.’ And that always stuck with me.”
Protecting water and wildlife
The land lies entirely within the Keuka Lake watershed. The Land Trust said the easements will help protect water quality, preserve wildlife habitat connectivity, and create a permanent buffer along this stretch of the Finger Lakes Trail, which also overlaps with the North Country Trail.
Nearby protected areas include Mount Washington State Forest, Cold Brook Wildlife Management Area, and Birdseye Hollow State Forest.
What conservation easements do
Conservation easements are voluntary legal agreements that limit future development to protect land’s conservation value. The land remains privately owned, stays on local tax rolls, and can still be used for activities like farming and hunting.
The Finger Lakes Land Trust said it has protected more than 35,000 acres across the region through land ownership and conservation easements. The organization manages more than 45 public nature preserves and holds easements on about 200 privately owned properties.
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