Land Trust Closes on Two Conservation Easements

Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust completed the year by successfully closing on two conservation easements. Most recently, closed in late December 2009, the Loomis Easement (pictured right) is a 108-acre parcel located in the town of Florence, Oneida County, and was once owned and operated by the Loomis Family, as a working dairy farm. The picturesque property is located on a hill with panoramic views of the Mohawk Valley, and is made up of pasture and hay fields, forests with a mix of conifers and northern hardwoods, as well as NYS DEC classified wetlands and streams.

This is Tug Hill Tomorrow’s first conservation development project with Christmas & Associates, Inc., LLC. This project protects the original farmstead and nearly one third of the original farmland, allowing only one additional residential structure to be developed on the 108 acres.

Closed in early December 2009, the Lane Easement (pictured below) is located just south of Whetstone Gulf State Park along Route 26 in the town of Turin, Lewis County. This 105-acre parcel has been in the Lane family for three generations, and by placing a conservation easement on the cherished land, the family will continue to pass it down to future generations. Overlooking the Black River Valley, the parcel is rich with wildlife – and almost always has deer and turkey in the fields. The flat area along the road is currently in agricultural use, and will remain so, while the remainder of the property is cut into gulfs. The two deepest gulfs have DEC classified streams running through them and are tributaries to Whetstone Creek, which runs into the Black River. The forest on the ridge is a mix of northern hardwoods, with scattered red pines.

The conservation easement will keep the ridgeline in tact, and limit development to one residential dwelling. Additionally, bordering Whetstone Gulf State Park, the easement buffers the park from development. With the completion of the Loomis and Lane Easements, THTLT has permanently protected over 5,300 acres within the Tug Hill Region.