Completed in 2006, this conservation easement permanently protects 262 acres of forests and wetlands in the Town of Osceola in Lewis County. The easement restricts future development and secures traditional forestry and hunting uses. The property is one of the many private holdings that are nestled in the area where NYS DEC and The Nature Conservancy have recently protected 45,000 acres of the core of Tug Hill called the East Branch of Fish Creek Project.
The easement that THTLT secured on the Bibbins’ property forwards the goals of the 2005 Draft NYS Open Space Plan because it is located in a priority project area identified jointly by NYS DEC Regions 6 & 7 as Tug Hill Core Forests and Headwater Streams. The plan states “The integrity of these core forests and headwaters should be protected through a combination of easement and fee acquisition of key parcels. Of particular importance is the maintenance of large private tracts managed for forest products to prevent subdivision and development.
These forest tracts support a major regional forest products industry, provide important habitat for wide ranging and migratory species and offer a wide range of recreational opportunities.” The protections put in place by the Bibbins’ contribute significantly to retaining the remote character and ecological health of Tug Hill’s core forest. The project was supported by a grant from The Conservation Partnership Program (CPP), which is funded by the NYS Environmental Protection Fund (EPF). This grant program requires a one-to-one cash match. Matching funds from the Central & Western Chapter of the Nature Conservancy will go into a special fund to support Tug Hill Tomorrow’s monitoring, stewardship and enforcement of the easement on the property.
