Update September 11, 2024: The Finger Lakes Land Trust (FLLT) is thrilled to announce that our $100,000 Keuka Lake Bluff Point Challenge Match has been achieved! We’ve raised over $120,000!

To everyone who has given, thank you for your support – and a very special thanks to members Brenda and Dave Rickey for their generous $100,000 challenge pledge! Your gifts are helping us protect one of the most prominent natural landmarks in the Finger Lakes region!

Photo: Bill Hecht

Visible for miles, Bluff Point occupies the center of the “Y” for which Keuka Lake is well known. Once almost entirely farmed, the slopes of Bluff Point are now blanketed by maturing hardwood forests.

These forests play a vital role in helping to prevent erosion and minimize nutrient runoff into Keuka Lake. Bluff Point’s woodlands also host a diversity of wildlife, including neotropical songbirds–some of which nest in the area, and others that continue on to Canadian forests. The Bluff’s forests also help define the character of this area and contribute to the scenic landscapes that attract numerous visitors to Keuka Lake and its watershed.

Photo: Bill Hecht

Today, Bluff Point and its woodlands are under increasing development pressure. Keuka’s shores have long hosted family cottages, but with the shoreline almost completely developed, construction of new homes is increasingly happening on the steep slopes overlooking the lake. Disturbance of these areas frequently results in water quality impacts upon the nearby lake.

To ensure the future of the Bluff’s scenic woodlands, and the health of Keuka Lake, the Finger Lakes Land Trust is working with landowners to secure these lands through direct acquisition as well as the use of conservation easements that will limit development on lands that remain in private ownership.

The FLLT recently launched this effort through the purchase of two forested parcels located on East Bluff Drive. Together totaling 57 acres, these properties feature mature stands of oak, hickory, and maple, with scattered native white pines. They also feature several rugged ravines that host small tributaries to Keuka Lake.

The development of management plans for the newly protected parcels is now underway and will provide new opportunities for low-impact recreational opportunities, including hiking, bird watching, and dog walking.

It is hoped that this trail system will be expanded in the future as additional lands are conserved.

Photo: FLLT

To date, the FLLT has conserved more than 390 acres within the Keuka Lake watershed. In addition to its recent acquisitions on Bluff Point, the FLLT owns and manages the Botsford Nature Preserve at Big Gully in the town of Jerusalem and holds additional conservation easements on prime farmland near Penn Yan.

In total our fundraising campaign raised some $600,000 to cover the cost of acquiring the Bluff Point lands and providing for their long-term management. Campaign funds include individual gifts made during the $100,000 Bluff Point Challenge; allocation of $200,000 from existing funds; and, a generous anonymous gift. You can make a gift to support other conservation projects across the Finger Lakes region:

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To learn more about giving opportunities, contact Dawn Cornell at dawncornell@fllt.org or (607) 275-9487.

Thank you!