The Land Trust permanently protected 628 acres of pastures, crop fields, and woodland at Birdsall Farm, a beef cattle operation located in both Cortland and Onondaga counties. Owned by Heather and Dennis Birdsall of Homer, the farm is located along State Route 41 and Ripley Hill Road.

The Land Trust completed two conservation easement agreements, one for each county, permanently protecting the farm that is located in an area well-known for its scenic beauty. The easements will ensure the farm is not subdivided as residential development spreads south along Skaneateles Lake.

Photo: Matt Champlin

Entirely situated in the Skaneateles Lake watershed, Birdsall Farm is surrounded by steep hills and deep valleys above southern Skaneateles Lake’s eastern shore. The headwaters of Grout Brook, a principle tributary to the lake, flows through the property. Given the sensitive nature of the watershed, the Birdsalls have invested heavily in farming practices that meet water quality protection requirements. In recognition, Heather and Dennis received the 2015 Skaneateles Lake Watershed Agriculture Program Environmental Steward of the Year award.

Heather and Dennis are first generation farmers who bought their original 143 acres in 2002 and continue to purchase neighboring parcels to grow their farm. Their beef products can be found at local restaurants and markets including the Anderson Farmers Market on State Route 281 in Homer, Number 5 Restaurant in Binghamton, and Pita Gourmet in Cortland.

The farm is located in a priority protection area for the Finger Lakes Land Trust and is within four miles of approximately 4,000 acres of protected land, which includes the Land Trust’s High Vista Nature Preserve and Hinchcliff Family Preserve, as well as three other properties subject to conservation easements.

“Protection of this farm is particularly important because of its proximity to Skaneateles Lake and a growing network of conservation land,” says Land Trust Executive Director Andrew Zepp.  “We’re grateful to the Birdsalls for their commitment to the land and we look forward to working with other farmers in this area to conserve more land.”

Funds for the project came from the state’s Farmland Protection Implementation Grants Program (FPIG), administered by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. The Land Trust will hold and enforce the easements, protecting the land from ever being developed. Conservation easements are voluntary legal agreements that permanently limit future land use in order to protect the land’s conservation values. Lands subject to conservation easements remain in private ownership, on local tax rolls, and available for traditional uses such as farming and hunting.