FLLT to convert former golf course to expand Cayuga Lake conservation area

LANSING, N.Y. — The Finger Lakes Land Trust (FLLT) announced it has acquired 110 acres of woodlands and meadows in the town of Lansing in Tompkins County.

The recent acquisition overlooks the eastern shore of Cayuga Lake and includes the Cedar View Golf Course. The golf course was operated by the Larsen family for more than 50 years before it ceased operation in 2021, FLLT said in its Aug. 22 announcement. 

The property is located just north of the Bell Station parcel which the FLLT acquired in 2022 from New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG).

The FLLT’s latest land acquisition involves a partnership with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The nonprofit intends to sell the property to the DEC, along with the lakeshore portion of Bell Station, for management as a public wildlife-management area. 

The new management area will include about 3,600 feet of lakeshore and more than 400 acres of diverse wildlife habitat.

“We were thrilled to have the opportunity to work with the Larsen family to conserve this special property,” Andrew Zepp, executive director of the Finger Lakes Land Trust, said in a release. “Together with Bell Station, this site is large enough to have special significance as habitat for fish and wildlife while also providing outstanding opportunities for outdoor recreation.”

Once part of a dairy farm, the property includes lakeshore woodlands that feature several seasonal tributaries to Cayuga Lake. The former 9-hole golf course provides scenic views of the lake and is lined with native Eastern red-cedar trees that took root when the site was used as a pasture. 

Prior to conveying the land to the DEC, the FLLT will partner with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to expand meadows on the former golf course to enhance grassland habitat for migratory songbirds such as Bobolinks, Savannah Sparrows, and Eastern Meadowlarks. 

Those involved will remove a number of trees to expand habitat for these “at risk” bird species and they’ll maintain meadows through periodic mowing, FLLT noted.

The Cedar View Golf Course property will remain closed to the public until habitat improvements are completed, but the adjacent Bell Station property is currently open for hiking and wildlife observation, FLLT said. 

The purchase was made possible by the FLLT’s Opportunity Fund, an internal revolving loan fund that the organization uses for “time-sensitive” acquisitions. It’s then replenished either through fundraising or the sale of land to a public conservation agency.

About the FLLT

Based in Ithaca, the Finger Lakes Land Trust says it 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 nonprofit also provides programs to educate local governments, landowners, and residents about conservation and the region’s unique natural resources.

By working cooperatively with landowners and local communities, the FLLT says it has protected more than 30,000 acres of the region’s undeveloped lakeshore, rugged gorges, rolling forest, and scenic farmland. The FLLT owns and manages a network of more than 45 nature preserves that are open to the public and holds perpetual conservation easements on 179 properties that remain in private ownership.