SEMPRONIUS, N.Y. — The Finger Lakes Land Trust (FLLT) says it has purchased 218 acres adjacent to Bear Swamp State Forest in the town of Sempronius in Cayuga County, an acquisition it says will help protect Skaneateles Lake.
The property includes wetlands, upland forests, and 1,755 feet of frontage on Bear Swamp Creek, the largest tributary to Skaneateles Lake, the unfiltered drinking-water supply for the City of Syracuse, per the announcement from Ithaca–based FLLT.
The FLLT says it intends to transfer a portion of the newly acquired property — about 141 acres — to New York State as an addition to Bear Swamp State Forest. The property will connect the eastern portion of the forest with 102 acres that FLLT acquired in 2021. The combined property will also join the state’s land holdings in this area.
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The remaining 77 acres are primarily agricultural land and will be conserved through the use of a perpetual conservation easement and sold to a private buyer subject to the terms of the easement. The FLLT says it will use proceeds from the sale to replenish its Opportunity Fund, the organization’s dedicated account created to make “time-sensitive” acquisitions possible.
Protection of these properties will safeguard water quality in Skaneateles Lake, protect wildlife habitat, and provide additional recreational opportunities, FLLT contends. The land purchase also represents the ninth conservation project in the vicinity of Bear Swamp, which is identified as a priority project within New York State’s Open Space Plan, the FLLT adds.
