The Land Trust protected two properties totaling 224 acres in Schuyler and Steuben counties with permanent conservation easements.

Both properties were donated to the Land Trust with the understanding that they would be sold subject to easements that protect their natural resources and limit subdivision. In each case, development will be limited to a single home. Proceeds from the sale of the properties will be used to cover project costs and also support future land conservation efforts within the region.

Photo: FLLT

The first property, located in the town of Dix, Schuyler County, was donated by a couple that prefers to remain anonymous. The 41-acre property is located near the Great Lakes/Chesapeake Bay watershed divide in the hills between Watkins Glen and Corning. The property has a mix of northern hardwood forest, two small woodland ponds, and a portion of a Chemung River tributary.

The second, a 183-acre property located on Rosy Hill Road in the town of Prattsburgh, Steuben County, was donated by the estate of Barbara Grace. The property includes over a mile of frontage on Tenmile Creek, mixed northern hardwood forest, conifer plantations, and a small pond. The property is located in the upper Cohocton River watershed and connects wildlife habitat in the Bristol Hills with state forests north of Hammondsport.

Conservation easements are voluntary legal agreements that permanently limit future development in order to protect the land’s conservation value. Lands subject to conservation easements remain in private ownership, on local tax rolls, and available for traditional uses such as farming, forestry, and hunting.