Land Purchase to Enhance Jersey Hill State Forest
Genesee Valley Conservancy has secured the purchase of 108 acres of field and forestland as part of a strategic enhancement of Jersey Hill State Forest in Birdsall, Allegany County.
The acquisition is part of the Conservancy’s cooperative conservation program, focused on acquiring critical pieces of land to fill-in and connect existing conservation areas.
The parcel acquired closes much of the gap between Jersey Hill State Forest and Gillies Hill State Forest. Both conservation areas are owned by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for the purpose of providing quality habitat for the benefit of wildlife and for recreational pursuits such as hunting, trapping, fishing, and watching.
The Acquisition
The 108-acre land purchase sits on the western edge of Jersey Hill State Forest. It brings ownership out to County Road 1 where 500 feet of scenic road frontage is now protected, ensuring views of the State Forest can be enjoyed while traveling this road.
An unnamed stream flows along the eastern edge of this property for 2,800 feet, before entering into the Black Creek and fresh water here eventually makes it way into the Genesee River and ultimately to Lake Ontario.
About Jersey Hill
Jersey Hill State Forest totals 1,088 acres. This area provides opportunities for outdoor recreational activities like hiking, snowmobiling, camping and hunting.
The forest provides various habitats for many wildlife species including deer, rabbit, grouse and turkey. It is also a source of raw material for New York's forest products industry, which provides employment and income for many New Yorkers.
In the 1930s, Jersey Hill State Forest was the site of many work projects carried out by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The Conservation Corps, established by the administration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, provided employment opportunities for young men during the Great Depression. Conservation Corps projects included the construction of roads and the planting of thousands of pine and spruce trees in the open areas on the property. A fire tower and observer's cabin were built on a hill in this area to aid in the early detection of any forest fires that might threaten the reforestation projects. These structures were removed after the recent acquisition of this abandoned farmland.
Cooperative Conservation
The Conservancy’s cooperative conservation program used to acquire this property is focused on in-filling and buffering existing public conservation areas to improve and enhance them.
The parcel’s location directly adjacent to the State Forest made an clear choice for the cooperative conservation program, as ultimately transferring the land to New York State for permanent protection allows the State to implement one unified management plan in the area, an area where long-term Conservancy ownership and staff investment would be redundant to the efforts by NYS in managing and overseeing land surrounding this parcel.
By purchasing this land outright, the Conservancy is aiding the goals of the regional DEC office, which identified this parcel as a critical area for expansion to provide easier access to the existing State Forest and for the future use and management benefits it would bring.
The Conservancy’s local connections and presence in the Genesee Valley helps the organization identify and foster cooperative conservation deals like this. The Conservancy then works through the lengthy and complex process of transferring land to the State, which requires working with the local town, the regional State office, and State officials in Albany – not something most individual landowners would be able or interested in trying to do alone.
Next Steps
The Conservancy will use an interim management plan to manage this property over the next year or two, primarily keeping it in its current condition, as staff work to transfer this property to NYS-Department of Environmental Conservation ownership.
The State has strict standards for land acquisition and there are various steps and reviews that need to take place before the State will accept this property from the Conservancy.
How to Help
This project was made possible with the use of the organization’s Acquisition Fund, a reserve which allows the organization to purchase parcels (and/or make down payments) on properties like this quickly that are actively on the market for sale.
The Conservancy is working to grow this fund to allow more and larger cooperative conservation projects to take place simultaneously. Acquiring critical conservation properties is a costly endeavor requiring staff time, legal assistance, property surveys, title review, and the purchase of the land itself. Individual and foundation support of the Conservancy is helping continue and enhance this program so existing conservation areas can be enhanced and connected.
Summary
This conservation project was the 1st in the town of Birdsall by the Conservancy and the first cooperative conservation protect undertaken there.
This project was the result of a collaboration between Genesee Valley Conservancy and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
To-date, the Genesee Valley Conservancy has secured seven parcels of land totaling 385 acres as part of its cooperative conservation program; acres that will be merged into New York State Parks, Wildlife Management Areas, and State Forests in the Genesee Valley to enhance existing conservation areas.
Genesee Valley Conservancy works throughout the Genesee River watershed to protect high quality habitat, open space and farmland for the community. The Conservancy now oversees the protection of 39,866 acres.
Landowners in the Genesee River watershed interested in pursuing conservation options for their property should contact Genesee Valley Conservancy for more information.
###
Genesee Valley Conservancy is a nationally accredited non-profit conservation organization working to protect the habitat, open space and farmland in the Genesee River watershed. Over 39,866 acres of natural habitat and productive farm and forest land have been conserved by Genesee Valley Conservancy in partnership with private landowners. The organization also owns nature preserves open to the public for recreation and education. For more information visit www.geneseevalleyconservancy.org