Bell Station land for auction, community opposes

Last week, New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) announced its plans to place its Bell Station property, located off Nut Ridge Road in Lansing, up for a sealed bid auction, causing an uproar from concerned residents and organizations trying to preserve the land.

The property spans approximately 470 acres, including 3,400 feet of undeveloped shoreline, two scenic gorges with waterfalls, mature forest, outcropping of Tully Limestone and extensive fields currently leased for farming. It was recognized in the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) 2016 Open Space Conservation Plan as a Regional Priority Conservation Project.

The DEC’s Plan also states “Parties, including New York State, local governments, and non-profit organizations, must be prepared to capitalize on these opportunities, which will become increasingly critical as shoreline development and prices continue to climb.”

On Aug. 25, State Senator Pam Helming held office hours at the Lansing Town Hall, with approximately 30 residents in attendance, the majority there to speak about the Bell Station property.

Helming advised residents to write letters and emails and to call representatives to make them aware that members of the local community do not support the auction and subsequent development of this shoreline and land.

In response to the upcoming auction, an online petition was created, which surpassed 2,100 signatures on Tuesday.

Robert Rieger, Lansing resident and board president of Friends of Salt Point, spoke to the importance of the petition and what the conservation of natural land means for the area.

“Our petition calls on NYSEG to stop the sale through an auction, and work with state and local organizations to organize a sale that benefits preservation and public access for generations to come,” he said via email. “It’s encouraging to see how many people throughout Tompkins and Cayuga Counties support preservation and public access instead of a private sale. NYSEG and its parent company need to be good neighbors and do the right thing with this valuable asset.”

A portion of the petition reads, “We need to show support for taking this land off the auction block, and instead for NYSEG to enter into negotiations with area organizations, such as the Finger Lakes Land Trust and DEC, to acquire this parcel for a fair price, so it can be conserved as a wildlife management area or other type of land available for the public and for future generations to come.”

This echoes statements present in the Town of Lansing’s comprehensive plan, which was passed unanimously by the Town Board in 2018, that designate Bell Station as future public-access conservation land.

The Finger Lakes Land Trust (FLLT), which has recognized the property as a priority conservation parcel for many years, is also working around the clock to try to get NYSEG to pull the land from auction and, instead, enter negotiations with the FLLT and the DEC to create a conservation and public recreation area, with the prospect to convert the fields currently being used for farming into renewable energy, FLLT Executive Director Andrew Zepp said.

“The Land Trust understands that NYSEG is seeking a fair price for this property, and we’re willing to pay the appraised fair market value of the property,” he said. “We’re just asking NYSEG and state authorities to enter into a transparent process involving us, on behalf of the state, which would be the ultimate owner, and potentially a solar company as well, to acquire the land but not through the auction process.”

The Bell Station property differs from the 4,000 feet of shoreline the FLLT recently acquired in Lansing, as its 3,400 feet of shoreline are not blocked by the active railroad. If preserved and made accessible, the public would have direct access to the lake from this land, adding to the only few public-access points on the east side of the lake.

According to the online commercial real estate exchange website Ten-X’s listing of the property, the online auction is slated for Oct. 11 through 13. The site currently describes the property as “a perfect candidate for potential waterfront residential development with agricultural secondary use and recreational forestry/tertiary use.”

A major concern shared by residents and the FLLT is that the land — which is designated as a Unique Natural Area by the Tompkins County Environmental Management Council — will be developed, increasing runoff, depleting the diverse mature forest and impacting the wildlife who live in the area, including some rare plant species not found elsewhere in the county.

Preserving the natural landscapes and forests at Bell Station goes beyond protecting just the land itself and creating a public-access location on the lake — it will help protect Cayuga Lake’s ecosystems and drinking water as well.

Runoff, increased by development, is of particular concern with the increasing Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) seen on the lake every summer, as it is a known cause.

As previously covered by Tompkins Weekly, toxic HABs pose more than just a threat to swimmers and animals (see tinyurl.com/ye9g6kzf and tinyurl.com/yg8zx7gy). While HABs have not yet been seen in the water intake at Bolton Point, it is a strong possibility, meaning thousands of water customers could be impacted.

The FLLT’s hopes and plans are to create a wildlife management area, owned and managed by the DEC, that is open to the public. Permitting recreational uses including hiking, wildlife study, cross-country skiing, hunting and fishing, the land would be protected for all to visit.

“It seems like a win-win for all involved if we can secure this wonderful shoreline area for the public, and for water quality, utilize a portion of fields for solar and to provide NYSEG with fair compensation,” Zepp said.

Those interested in learning more can visit the Bell Station tab on the Cayuga Bird Club website at cayugabirdclub.org/bell-station or contact the FLLT at info@fllt.org or (607) 275-9487.