Towards the northwest corner of the Town of Lansing is a parcel of lakeshore property known as Bell Station, located between Nut Ridge Road and the former Cayuga Operating Company Power Plant. This approximately-471-acre parcel, owned by New York State Electric and Gas Co. (NYSEG), remains mostly wooded and has 3400 feet (over ½ mile) of undeveloped shoreline, a rare feature in the 11 Finger Lakes, let alone on Cayuga Lake.
Much of the property has been designated by Tompkins County as a Unique Natural Area. The Finger Lakes Land Trust (FLLT) has been working in good faith for many years to secure this land as a conservation area at a fair price, with full support of the Lansing Town Board and Conservation Advisory Council, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Last week we learned that NYSEG intends to auction off the property to the highest bidder. The FLLT is unlikely to win an open auction, and the most likely outcome is the development of the shoreline for private homes or other projects. We understand that this decision came from corporate, and not from the local NYSEG offices who have been very helpful with installing Osprey platforms, among other conservation efforts. The auction is slated for October 11-13. The listing can be found at https://tinyurl.com/bellstn-auction WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP TAKE BELL STATION OFF THE AUCTION BLOCK? Strong local action is needed immediately to try to stop the auction. Signing this change.org petition could be a start: https://chng.it/yQdP6g8PyT Letters by individuals may be sent to towncl...@lansingtown.com Send a letter to NY Senator Helming. She is very supportive and wants letters and messages to show others. Contact information for public officials and other people to contact, including Senator Helming, can be found at https://www.cayugabirdclub.org/bell-station (Compiled by Donna Scott and Suan Yong) -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
