The Finger Lakes Land Trust has protected 90 acres at Eastmere Farms in the town of Skaneateles through a permanent conservation easement. The project is aimed at protecting tributaries that flow into Skaneateles Lake, a drinking water source for Syracuse and surrounding communities.
The property is along East Lake Road and Pork Street in Onondaga County and includes woodlands, wetlands and farm fields used for corn and hay.
The eastern portion of the property includes 4,744 feet of frontage along Shotwell Brook, a major tributary to Skaneateles Lake. The site also includes 2,662 feet along an unnamed tributary that passes through the western edge of the property.
The land trust said the easement was purchased with support from New York's Water Quality Improvement Project program and private donors. The easement will permanently limit future land use while keeping the property privately owned and on local tax rolls.
The property also includes ponds and a wetland restoration project completed by several partners in 2020. The land trust said those features capture stormwater and significantly reduce sediment entering the lake.
The protected land adds to a growing corridor of conserved land in the area, including the new Shotwell Brook Conservation Area and an adjacent private property already protected by a conservation easement.
Under the Eastmere Farms easement, future development is limited to one residence. Continued agricultural use is allowed, with vegetated buffers required near streams and wetlands.
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