Skaneateles Lake watershed preservation topic of workshops

A handful of residents came out Wednesday, Aug. 13, to the Niles Town Hall for an evening public workshop on conservation options in the Skaneateles Lake watershed.
The presentation was the first of two public workshops to discuss conservation options for landowners and communities in and around Skaneateles Lake and pertained primarily to those living on the south end of the lake. The second workshop was held Tuesday, Aug. 19 at the Skaneateles Public Library.
To present conservation ideas and open discussion with the community on the south end of the lake, Mark Whitmore, project manager for the Finger Lakes Land Trust conservation planning efforts, and Rocci Aguirre, land protection specialist with FLLT, spoke to the group.
“The take home from this is to get input from the communities in our service area,” he said.
Aguirre said, as a land protection specialist, he is responsible for 12 counties in his region, which amounts to approximately 6,000 miles and roughly 10,000 acres of protected land.
“The program that we have is one that addresses an opportunity,” Whitmore said. “(The project is) to help people become aware of what you have before it’s gone.”
Whitmore’s project consists of cataloging wildlife and plant life in the area so the community is aware of what they have in terms of natural resources, plants and animals. Due to the enormity of the project, he will not be able to individually catalog each species, and is instead going to be taking information from other people and places, such as the City of Syracuse and fellow scientists, he said.
“When I look at this area I look at the forest,” Whitmore said, noting the recreational opportunities for hunting and fishing. “One of the great secrets of this area is Bear Swamp. ... Bear Swamp is it for orchids.”
According to Whitmore, had a dam been put in at Bear Swamp in 1932, as was the plan back then, and stored water, the plant and animal life would not be what it is today.
Whitmore’s project is more than just dealing with what roams and grows in the forest. To get a feel for the conservation issues in the area, he will be doing a subsample of the residents.
Niles residents Russ and Carolyn Pringle, both members of the FLLT, attended the presentation. Russ said they love the area and want it to be preserved.
“I think it’s great work they’re doing,” he said, adding that he thinks everybody should look into the program.
The public workshop was meant to foster a dialogue between the community and the land trust.
Aguirre’s job primarily consists of working with landowners on easements, a process which essentially allows a landowner to give their property to the land trust for a monetary settlement in order for the land to be protected. Easements primarily deal with two areas — limiting future subdivision of property and by limiting future development, he said.
“These processes can take time,” Aguirre said. “It’s a major sort of undertaking to preserve your vision for forever.”
By signing property over to the FLLT, residents have the opportunity to preserve their land for generations to come, he said.
For more information on the Finger Lakes Land Trust, visit www.fllt.org.

CATEGORY: Environment
TAGS: Finger Lakes Lant Trust, Skaneateles Lake, watershed, Bear Swamp
EDITION: Skaneateles Press

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