Ithaca, NY— The Finger Lakes Land Trust (FLLT) today announced it has received the donation of a historic 200-year-old fieldstone home and more than 140 acres of woodlands in the town of Enfield, directly adjacent to Robert H. Treman State Park. This generous gift was made by Tompkins County resident Margaret Bald, who passed away in 2020.
The property, which had been in the Bald family since 1950, features a mix of fields and forest which contain many high quality sugar maples and hickories. Margaret cared deeply about her land and made plans to permanently conserve it through her will.
“This is an extraordinary gift,” said Land Trust Executive Director Andy Zepp. “The property is truly a special place and its location within Ithaca’s Emerald Necklace makes it even more significant. We’re grateful to Margaret for her foresight and generosity.”
The home, built in the 1820s, needs a complete restoration. With guidance from Historic Ithaca, the Land Trust listed the home for sale along with a 3.5-acre lot. More information can be found at https://carolbushberg.com/4-stone-house-road. Deed restrictions will be placed on the property at the time of sale to ensure that the character of this local landmark is maintained.
Over the course of the next year, the Land Trust will work with state park officials, the Cayuga Trails Club, and the Finger Lakes Trail Conference to develop a long-term plan for conserving the land and to create a hiking path that will connect to the nearby Finger Lakes Trail.
Other protected lands nearby include the Bock-Harvey Forest Preserve, the FLLT’s Stevenson Forest Preserve, and two properties protected by FLLT conservation easements.
By working cooperatively with landowners and local communities, the Finger Lakes Land Trust has protected over 28,000 acres of the region’s undeveloped lakeshore, rugged gorges, rolling forest, and scenic farmland. The FLLT owns and manages a network of over 45 nature preserves that are open to the public and holds perpetual conservation easements on 170 properties that remain in private ownership.
The FLLT focuses on protecting critical habitat for fish and wildlife, conserving lands that are important for water quality, connecting existing conservation lands, and keeping prime farmland in agriculture. The organization also provides programs to educate local governments, landowners, and residents about conservation and the region’s unique natural resources.
Information on the region’s premier destinations for outdoor recreation, including Robert H. Treman State Park, may be found at www.gofingerlakes.org, a resource created by the FLLT to encourage people to get outdoors. Additional information about the Finger Lakes Land Trust may be found at http://www.fllt.org.
