Land Trust launches Six Mile Creek Protection Project

By Tompkins Weekly Staff
 
The Finger Lakes Land Trust has announced its plans to acquire 126 acres along Midline Road in the Town of Dryden with the intention of retaining it as conservation land. The parcel is located in an ecologically sensitive area, containing over 900 feet of frontage on Six Mile Creek—the source of Ithaca’s drinking water, and more than 11,000 feet of additional frontage on tributaries to the creek.
 
In addition to its extensive frontage, this pending acquisition features 12 acres of wetlands as well as meadows and mature woodlands. The tract encompasses portions of two county-designated Unique Natural Areas and also features a scenic overlook on Six Mile Creek that is accessed via a hiking trail from the Land Trust’s nearby Roy H. Park Preserve.
 
This project provides a unique opportunity to protect Ithaca’s drinking water supply, conserve county-designated natural areas, and secure a unique destination for outdoor recreation. The proposed acquisition is part of a growing complex of conserved land that includes the Land Trust’s nearby Roy H. Park Preserve, Cornell University’s Old 600 Natural Area, Hammond Hill State Forest, and Yellow Barn State Forest.
 
This latest acquisition is located within the Emerald Necklace Greenbelt —an ambitious effort to link 50,000 acres of existing public open space that extends in an arc around Ithaca. The Emerald Necklace is recognized as a priority project within New York State’s Open Space Plan.
 
This will be the Land Trust’s fifth acquisition on Upper Six Mile Creek. The organization also holds 15 conservation easements on properties located within the watershed of Ithaca’s drinking water supply.
 
“This is an incredible opportunity for conservation,” says Land Trust Executive Director Andrew Zepp. “It’s rare to come across a property of such significance in terms of water quality and ecological integrity, while also providing an outstanding opportunity for outdoor recreation. Everyone who relies on Ithaca’s drinking water supply will benefit from this project.”
 
The Land Trust has launched a $300,000 fundraising campaign to cover the purchase price, associated transaction costs, and a contribution to the organization’s Stewardship Fund to provide for long term management and monitoring. Tompkins County has already committed $25,000 to the project through an allocation from its Capital Reserve Fund for and the City of Ithaca is considering an allocation of $25,000 from its Watershed Protection Fund.
 
It is presumed that most of the remaining funds needed for the campaign will come from individual donors. As part of this fundraising effort, the Land Trust is holding a variety of events in April.
For more information about these events or the Six-Mile Creek Protection Project, call the Land Trust at (607) 275-9487 or visit www.fllt.org.
 
The Land Trust has protected more than 18,000 acres of our region’s undeveloped lakeshore, gorges, forest, and farmland. The Land Trust today owns and manages a network of nature preserves that are open to the public and holds conservation easements on more than 120 properties that remain in private ownership..