DRYDEN, N.Y. — The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has acquired 87 acres of land in the town of Dryden in Tompkins County.
The acquisition is part of a partnership the DEC has with the Ithaca–based Finger Lakes Land Trust (FLLT).
The DEC acquired the land north and west of Irish Settlement Road for $192,400. The department used money from the Environmental Protection Fund to pay for the land.
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The project connects two existing state forests, extending the so-called Emerald Necklace of protected lands around Ithaca, which is labeled as a “priority” in the state’s open-space plan, the DEC said in a news release.
The DEC land purchase is located on the eastern side of Yellow Barn State Forest and allows the state to connect Yellow Barn State Forest and Hammond Hill State Forest.
“This purchase demonstrates the importance of the working collaboratively with non-profits in the local community who share common goals with DEC,” DEC Commissioner Joe Martens said in the news release. “With the assistance of the Finger Lakes Land Trust, an important corridor linking two DEC-owned properties will now be open to everyone in the state for recreational enjoyment.”
The Ithaca organization is “delighted” to work in partnership to secure this first link in the Emerald Necklace Greenbelt, Andrew Zepp, executive director of the Finger Lakes Land Trust, said in the release.
“This is a great example of a public-private partnership that is resulting in the conservation of significant wildlife habitat, enhanced access for public recreation, and the protection of a public drinking water supply,” said Zepp.
About the land
The land is a mix of northern hardwoods, white pine and young, early successional habitat (weedy areas and grasslands), the DEC said.
The land also includes some wetlands and a tributary to Six Mile Creek.
For 22 years, the property had been enrolled in the 480-a Forest Tax Law Program, which provides a tax reduction in return for property owners managing their forest lands through a management plan that a forester wrote.
The DEC will continue managing the wildlife property as a working forest that provides forest products, watershed protection, and habitat, the department said.
In 2010, the FLLT purchased a 169-acre tract of land from Rex Berntsson and Mary Kay Miller. FLLT held a portion of this land acquisition for sale to the DEC.
The FLLT retained the property south and east of Irish Settlement Road as an addition to its Roy H. Park Land Preserve.
The acquisition will provide additional recreational opportunities for the public.
The FLLT raised money to build a universally accessible boardwalk and a mile-long hiking trail to link the Roy H. Park Land Preserve to Hammond Hill State Forest.
The New York State Conservation Partnership Program, and financial contributions from Tompkins County, the Town of Dryden, City of Ithaca, Cornell University, and a variety of private sources provided support for that portion of the project, according to the DEC.
The Twin Sheds Unit Management Plan will manage the Yellow Barn State Forest and Hammond Hill State Forest, the DEC said.
The department approved a draft of the plan in 2013 and expects to approve the final plan early next year.
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com
