133 Acres Protected

View of the City of Oneonta from the property.

In December, Otsego Land Trust received a donation of a conservation easement on 133 acres of beautiful forests, hills, farmland, and wetlands in the Town of Oneonta.

Seeing that there was a very clear present development threat in the area, the landowners chose to purchase and protect the property in order to conserve its farmland, forests, diverse wildlife habitats, stream and wetland buffers, and natural area corridors. Protection of this property will help reduce land fragmentation in this rural area near the City of Oneonta.

Future generations will benefit from the protection of nearly 4,000 feet of a stream that impacts drinking water for both the Town and City of Oneonta and the Susquehanna River Valley Corridor. The conservation easement also protects important soils suitable for future agricultural endeavors and nearly 60 acres of forest land, which may help reduce erosion, improve water quality, and mitigate the effects of climate change through carbon sequestration and sound management of working lands.

Forested section of the property with an old logging road, mostly comprised of Hemlock-Northern hardwood stands.

Executive Director of OLT, Patricia Szarpa, reflected on the project: “This is a great example of permanently protecting land to limit sprawl. There is slow but continuing development in and around the area, as the property is in close proximity to the City of Oneonta. Increased development can threaten the quality of the drinking water supply of the City and other municipalities.”