Land Purchases Could Preserve NY Trail

real estate photo of the Virgil property

from Mike TenKate via the Finger Lakes Trail newsgroup

There are two plots of land for sale in Virgil, New York, that either have trail or could have trail on them that are currently for sale. As you all know changes in ownership can sometimes be a little scary for permissions. I have included links below in the hopes that maybe we can find a friend of the trail who wants to buy one (or both).

Item #1 - 238 Acres currently has about only about 50 feet of trail on it due to a funky property line we only recently became aware the trail was even on this property. It is crucial to linking Kennedy State Forest to Tone Road. This property could have the possibility with a permitting landowner to host miles of trail and eliminate nearly all of the Tone Road, Route 392, Carson Road Road walks and replace them with really nice trail and lots of it. This is a really nice property and includes a lot of Gridly Creek.

Item #2 - 28 AcresThis property is one that we worked on getting a permanent easement on over the last few years. It seemed as though it was a done deal when the property owner decided to sell it instead. She decided against an easement first due to fear of lowering the value. This property is also very nice. It is only 26 acres but due to its shape could have about a half mile of trail. It could replace the Carson Road portion of the road walk and rejoin the current trail near the Woodchuck Hollow Lean- to.

Contact Mike TenKate with questions.

These segments are on FLT map M19

See Finger Lakes Trail Conference

Land Purchases Bolster NCT in Wisconsin

submitted by Todd McMahon

Two major land purchases and several smaller ones have bolstered the North Country Trail in Northern Wisconsin. Using state and federal funds, the 3995 acre Nemadji River Tract on Wisconsin’s western border was purchased in August. Also, in late September the State of Wisconsin purchased land northeast of Copper Falls State Park. Plus, several smaller tracts are being purchased near Solon Springs in hopes of eliminating the road walk there.

The purchase of the Nemadji River Tract from the Wausau Paper Company will allow 6 miles of the North Country Trail to be built on that property. Plus, 4 more miles of the trail could be built on adjacent lands. The Nemadji River Tract was purchased using 1.9 million from the State of Wisconsn’s Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program and another 1.9 million from US Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program. The 3995 acres will become part of the Douglas County Forest.

At its September 2010 Board Meeting, the State of Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources agreed to purchase the 720 acre Stilin Properties Tract. The property adjoins Copper Falls State Park to the east, and other state property to the north. In the purchasing agreement, it specifically states that the North Country Trail will be sited, developed and maintained through the property. It will help eliminate the Trail’s dead end at Copper Falls State Park. The land was purchased for $936,00, which includes a $85,028 donation from the John Dolan Dee Estate. The land will become part of the Ashland County Scattered Forest Lands Program and some of the land may eventually become part of Copper Falls State Park.

Meanwhile, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has purchased 3 smaller properties near Solon Spring. One of the properties is a key link to eliminating the road walk north of town. The two other properties are private properties that the NCT currently is on.

The Brule/St Croix Chapter of the North Country Trail is working on eliminating another dead end by completing the trail from Spring Creek to Gordon Dam County Park. According to Tim Mowbray, President of the Chapter, the trail is already cleared to Gordon Dam County Park, but it passes through some wet areas where boardwalks and a puncheon will need to be built. In order to obtain the permit to build the boardwalk and puncheon, a Certified Floodplan Engineer will be hired to prove the structures will not be a flood hazard. The National Park Service has set aside money to hire the Certified Floodplain Engineer and the Brule/St Croix Chapter has already bought most of the materials for the project. The Chapter is hoping to work on the structures next summer.

This segment is on NCTA map WI-01, 02

See Brule- St. Croix Chapter of the NCTA

Marcellus Shale Gas Drilling and the NCT

how the Marcellus Shale is located in relation to the North Country Trail. Right click the map to enlarge or follow the FLT link below to see the full-size version (graphic from the Finger Lakes Trail Conference)

if you like this article, click the Blip chiclet!
from several sources

The Marcellus Shale is a geological formation in a large part of New York and Pennsylvania. The proposals to extract gas from this layer are being scrutinized closely by New York, and less carefully by Pennsylvania.

The extraction method will be hydraulic fracturing, also called fracking. This involved boring horizontal tunnels, and injecting water under pressure until the rock fractures, releasing the gas. The Marcellus Shale is about 6000 feet below the surface. There have been reported problems with the method in Wyoming, where it is being blamed for aquifer contamination.

If drilling is allowed it is highly likely that it will impact the North Country Trail in multiple locations.

Retired Pennsylvania DCNR Policy Director, Rick Carlson, supported a temporary moratorium, and the passage of HB 2235, which will temporarily stop new leasing of State Forest land while the potentially harmful effects on land and waters are studied.

New York has prohibited the practice in the New York City watershed, essentially the Catskills.

The Finger Lakes Trail Conference has offered a position paper on Marcellus Shale drilling. It states: "The draft SGEIS [Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement] characterizes “trails” as “visual features”. However, the FLT is much more than a passive visual feature; it is a long distance, wilderness character footpath, and provides numerous benefits to people across the state and for out of state visitors. The simple application of “line of sight” and “view shed” criteria does not provide adequate protection of these benefits. Although the occasional vistas do provide long views of the surrounding countryside, much of the appeal of the trail is in the active, physical involvement with close-by sights, sounds, smells, and the overall experience of being in a natural setting." It includes a 9-point list of reasons the FLTC opposes the drilling. These are:

• Dilution of trail resources
• Loss of wilderness
• Loss of trail quality
• Loss of trail continuity
• Loss of membership
• Hiker safety
• Landowner relationship degredation
• Increased motorized use
• Reduced likelihood of permanent protection

This affects all FLT maps M1-M33 and NCTA map PA-01, 02, 03

The entire FLTC statement can be read at Comment on the [Draft] Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement

Ithaca's "Emerald Necklace" Includes FLT/NCT

hills south of Ithaca on the FLT/NCT (photo by JHY)

if you like this article, click the Blip chiclet!

based on a news article in the Ithaca Journal

The Emerald Necklace Greenbelt is the name for the long-term conservation plan for 50,000 acres surrounding Ithaca, New York. This plan, recommended by the Finger Lakes Land Trust, includes nine state forests, Connecticut Hill Wildlife Management Area and Cornell University's Arnot Forest.

Wending through that area is the Finger Lakes and North Country Trails. Andy Zepp, the Finger Lakes Land Trust Executive Director, says that the sprawling development patters of the area will create problems.

Preserving a 300 foot wide corridor, for recreation and wildlife, to be obtained through purchases and easements, would help protect 78 miles of the trail. Currently, very few of the FLT trail miles are legally protected. A great many handshake agreements exist, but when land changes hands such casual agreements fall apart.

The Land Trust seeks to protect the entire FLT through conservation easements, donation or purchase of land, and simple easements. No land is claimed through eminent domain, rather the land trust works with land owners.

One goal of the Emerald Necklace is to develop four gateways to a trail system, which includes the FLT/NCT. Proposed locations are:

- In the Town of Hector, Schuyler County, along Route 79, somewhere between the Finger Lakes National Forest and Texas Hollow State Forest.
- In the Town of Ithaca, on state land on the east side of Route 13 across from
- In the Town of Danby, within Jennings Pond Park on Bald Hill Road, near Route 96B.
- In the Town of Richford, Tioga County, along Route 79, somewhere near the Tompkins/Tioga border and Robinson Hollow State Forest.

Finger Lakes Land Trust

Finger Lakes Land Trust Partners with Tompkins County to Preserve Trail

on the Finger Lakes Trail

based on a news article in the Ithaca Journal, "Protecting our woodland walk," by Krisy Gashler, Feb 21, 2009

The Finger Lakes Trail is a model of land use agreements with private property owners. But that is also one of its greatest weaknesses. Many of those agreements are secured with only a handshake.

Andy Zepp, executive director of the Finger Lakes Land Trust said, “there's a wonderful story about the Finger Lakes Trail and how private property owners and volunteers ... have made this wonderful resource available.” But he also warned that there is risk in the future.

Property once in farmland is being sold and sub-divided. An agreement with one landowner can suddenly need to be negotiated with ten owners. Zepp said that Ithaca (New York) is the largest city close to the trail, thus making it a “proving ground” for growth issues.

The Finger Lakes Trail runs from Allegheny State Park in the western Southern Tier of NY to the Catskill Mountains, a length of 562 miles. There are several side branches. The North Country Trail is concurrent with the FLT for about 300 miles, turning north on the Onondaga Branch and connecting with the Link Trail on its way to the Adirondacks.

In the past few years, three sections of trail near Ithaca have required changes when property owners asked the FLT to leave their land. John Andersson is president of the Cayuga Trails Club that maintains 82 miles of the FLT through Tompkins and part of Schuyler counties.

"We're concerned that it seems to be happening a little more frequently in the past few years and it's getting harder to find additional nearby landowners," Andersson said. "It's not because landowners aren't receptive to us in general, it's really because the parcels are getting smaller. As time goes by, people divvy the land up more."

If an agreement cannot be reached with a different landowner then the trail must move to the road. Andersson cited one case where a landowner died and his children did not want the trail. That resulted in a seven-mile roadwalk. He explained that they have a new route in that area now, near Caroline, NY, but there are four owners to deal with, not just one. “You can’t do that in a weekend,” he added. Most of the people who negotiate for the trail are volunteers.

Sometimes trail users create problems. Intrusion by motorized vehicles, allowing dogs to run off-leash, being rude to landowners and disobeying posted rules can result in a loss of permission. People tend to think that if they are in the woods that it must be public land. Sometimes property owners just decide that they don’t want the hassle.

Recently the Finger Lakes Land Trust and the Tompkins County planning department have joined forces to consider long-range planning for the trail. They have received a state grant for the planning. With the aid of a consultant they are interviewing property owners, assessing the trail, and holding public meetings. They hope to have an initial report in late spring, Zepp said.

One of the conclusions is sure to be to try to secure more permanent easements for the trail. In some cases these legal agreements are already in place. Charlie Elrod of Enfiled purchased his land with a legal easement in place and he has no problem with that. He and his wife even maintain the trail as volunteer trail adopters. "I just think it's so important that people have opportunities to get out and enjoy this beautiful countryside we live in, and if we can facilitate or help that effort along by keeping the trail through here, so much the better," Elrod said.

Zepp said the two key issues in sustaining the trail are better planning for its long-term future and a financial commitment.