NYSEG has announced plans to auction its Bell Station Land starting September 20, 2021 for 45 days.

We need to show support for taking this land off the auction block, and instead for NYSEG to enter into negotiations with area organizations, such as the Finger Lakes Land Trust and DEC, to acquire this parcel for a fair price, so it can be conserved as a wildlife management area or other type of land available for the public and for future generations to come.

This approximately 470-acre tract, with 3,400 feet of undeveloped shoreline, prime wildlife habitat and mature forest with two scenic gorges, has been identified as a publicly-identified state priority in the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation's 2016 Open Space Conservation Plan (p. 142).

There are few public access points on the east shore of Cayuga Lake, as approximately 90% of the Cayuga Lake shoreline is privately owned; it would be a great benefit to our state residents if conserved as a future State Wildlife Management area, or other form of public access.

The Town of Lansing's Comprehensive Plan, passed unanimously by the Town Board in 2018, designates Bell Station as future public-access conservation land, and the town's Conservation Advisory Council has listed Bell Station at the top of all "Distinctive Views" in its 2021 Scenic Resources Inventory. In addition, the Tompkins County Environmental Management Council has designated Bell Station as a Unique Natural Area for its outcrop of Tully Limestone on the site; its magnificently diverse mature forest; and rich diversity of spring ephemerals, some of which are not found anywhere else in Tompkins County. Our regional Finger Lakes Land Trust has identified the Bell Station property as a priority conservation parcel and for many years has dedicated resources to coordinate its protection. The Town of Lansing is currently preparing a Parks, Recreation, and Trails Master Plan; a recent associated Online Community Survey shows that support remains strong for securing public access to Bell Station lands.  

(Petition information courtesy of Tom Butler)