Gift of Land on Lick Brook adds to Emerald Necklace Greenbelt
01/28/2009
The Kingsbury gift property is particularly significant in that it features more than 6,000 feet of frontage on Lick Brook – a pristine stream that flows from gentle hills in Danby before creating a rugged gorge in the Town of Ithaca and emptying into the Cayuga Inlet.
The Kingsbury tract is located on both sides of Jersey Hill Road in the Town of Danby. The property is characterized by forests of oak, maple, and beech, with scattered white pines. Lick Brook meanders through the parcel over beds of shale, cutting a pronounced valley before leaving the site.
The Land Trust will retain and manage the property as open space, to be known as the Kingsbury Woods Conservation Area. The land will be open to the public for hiking and wildlife watching. During 2009, the Land Trust will develop a trail system and parking area.
The Kingsbury gift represents the Land Trust’s fifth project in the vicinity of Lick Brook. To date, the organization has permanently protected more than 300 acres in this area with 15,000 feet of frontage on the brook.
“This is a wonderful gift to the community,” says Land Trust executive director Andrew Zepp. “With development starting to crowd Lick Brook, now is the time to protect these lands. We’re very grateful to Sheela and her family for this wonderful gift.”
Reflecting upon her gift, Sheela Kingsbury says “When I think about this beautiful piece of land, I am grateful to the Finger Lakes Land Trust for making it possible for us to protect it for generations to come. The preservation of forest trees and habitat for wildlife are two of my most cherished goals. It is with great appreciation and respect, and also with a sense of awe, that we look upon this opportunity to give back to nature and our community. “How often is it that we get to say “Thank you” to the Universe for all the amazing gifts life gives us? My family and I are sincerely grateful to the Finger Lakes Land Trust for the work they do and for the chance they give others to join them in that work.”
The Kingsbury gift is the Land Trust’s latest project undertaken as part of the Emerald Necklace Greenbelt project. The Necklace spans thousands of acres of both publicly and privately owned open space. The Land Trust and its partners seek to link existing open space tracts in this area while at the same time securing unique natural areas and lands that are particularly important for maintaining water quality.
