Help Preserve Land in the Cayuga Lake Watershed for Public Use and Enjoyment

Dear CSI Volunteers, Friends, and Supporters,

The land owned by the Baden-Powell Boy Scout Council, long home to Camp Barton, will be sold. Similar to the Bell Station Landing on Cayuga’s eastern shore, this 138-acre property on the southwest shore is an invaluable natural resource. In it, Trumansburg Creek flows through mature hardwood forests over the beautiful Frontenac Falls and into Cayuga Lake along 2,200 ft. of mostly undeveloped shoreline.

Local efforts are underway to help ensure that this valuable lakefront area is owned and managed sustainably for public use, instead of being parceled and sold to private owners. A petition on Change.org calls for New York State to acquire the land under an agreement that it will be managed collaboratively by the Village of Trumansburg, the Town of Ulysses, and the Town of Covert. Public ownership of the land would help to ensure that its forests, waters, and lakefront are protected and available for public use and enjoyment – now, and in the future.

Protecting forested land in the Cayuga Lake watershed – especially lands that provide a protective buffer for streams and the lakeshore – is an essential part of managing the health of our shared water resources. Forested lands help prevent erosion and runoff that can transport sediment and nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen into our streams. CSI data shows that streams draining watersheds with more forested land tend to have lower concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus (Fall 2019 Water Bulletin). Managing nutrient runoff is among the most important ways to protect water quality, helping to prevent eutrophication that can lead to excessive weed growth as well as more frequent occurrences of harmful algal blooms (HABs). By holding this land in public trust, it can be managed to protect the health of Trumansburg Creek and Cayuga Lake while providing the community with access to its aquatic treasures. The ability to use and enjoy our shared water resources helps foster stewardship and a lasting connection with our environment.Help protect the Cayuga Lake watershed and ensure that its land and natural resources are managed sustainably and held in trust for the public to enjoy.