State acquires land near Ithaca, creating Cayuga Shores Wildlife Management Area

LANSING, N.Y. — New York State has purchased a portion of the former Bell Station property in the town of Lansing in Cayuga County and announced its “permanent protection” as the Cayuga Shores Wildlife Management Area (WMA). The 287-acre Cayuga Shores Wildlife Management Area provides public access to 3,500 feet of shoreline on the east side of Cayuga Lake in Tompkins County. The property includes a variety of fish and wildlife habitat including multiple streams, wooded hillsides, and extensive fields, the office of Gov. Kathy Hochul said in announcing the acquisition from the Finger Lakes Land Trust (FLLT) of Ithaca. “Preserving this area will not only reduce erosion and the threat of harmful algal blooms, it will enhance hunting, fishing, and wildlife-watching opportunities in the region for generations to come,” Sean Mahar, interim commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), said in the state’s announcement. “DEC commends our partners at the Finger Lakes Land Trust and NYSEG for their efforts to advance creation of the new Cayuga Shores WMA to protect this unique lakefront parcel and the habitats it supports.” Recent history In 2021, Hochul worked to shift a planned public auction of the New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) Corporation’s former Bell Station property and help protect the largest privately owned shoreline parcel along Cayuga Lake, per the governor’s office. The DEC, FLLT, and NYSEG collaborated to facilitate the permanent protection of the property and maximize public access. In 2022, FLLT purchased the 487-acre property from NYSEG following an outpouring of individual donations totaling $500,000 and in partnership with the Park Foundation, which provided a $2 million loan. In its May 24, 2022 announcement about the Bell Station property acquisition, FLLT said it planned to “sell the lakeshore portion of the property to the [DEC] to be managed for recreational uses including hiking, cross country skiing, wildlife watching, hunting, and fishing.” DEC recently finalized the state’s purchase and is establishing the Cayuga Shores Wildlife Management Area (WMA) with $2.5 million from the State’s Environmental Protection Fund. The former Bell Station property is recognized as a priority project in New York State’s open-space plan and designated as future public access conservation land in the Town of Lansing Comprehensive Plan. FLLT is expected to retain about 200 acres of the easternmost portion of the property and use it to produce renewable solar energy.