The Finger Lakes Land Trust (FLLT) secured a conservation easement protecting 116 acres in Niles, Cayuga County, owned by local farmers Don and Ana Dewitt. Located primarily in the Skaneateles Lake watershed, the property contains forested land, a working farm, and 3,000 feet of frontage on Bear Swamp Creek.

Also featuring scenic frontage on State Route 41A, just south of the hamlet of New Hope, the farm dates back more than 100 years, when it was originally a dairy farm run by Anna’s grandparents. Today, the DeWitts grow corn, soybeans, wheat, and hay. “We want farmland to stay farmland,” said Don.

Photo: Bill Hecht

The easement contains a 16-acre environmental protection zone, that buffers the section of Bear Swamp Creek on the property. Known for its importance for water quality, Bear Swamp Creek is the largest tributary to Skaneateles Lake, the unfiltered drinking water supply for more than 200,000 people in the city of Syracuse and surrounding communities.

The undeveloped lands at the south end of Skaneateles Lake are a major focus for the FLLT, due to their steep slopes that stabilize soil and prevent sediment and nutrient loading in the lake. Other protected lands nearby include the organization’s Bahar Nature Preserve, and the state-owned Carpenter Falls Unique Area and Bear Swamp State Forest.

A significant portion of the funding for this project came from the New York State Water Quality Improvement Projects (WQIP) program. The WQIP program funds projects that directly address documented water quality impairments or protect a drinking water source.

Conservation easements are voluntary legal agreements that permanently limit future land use 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 and hunting.