Finger Lakes Land Trust ·/ January 15, 2026
The Finger Lakes Land Trust accepted the donation of three conservation easements from sisters Yolanda Adrean and Dolores Wheeler protecting 283 acres in Hammondsport, Steuben County. Their scenic properties contain open fields, steep forested hillsides, unnamed tributaries that flow into Keuka Lake, and host a section of the Finger Lakes Trail system.
Located wholly within the Keuka Lake watershed, the land has been in Yolanda and Dolores’ family since the early 1900s. With a long history of grape growing, it is currently utilized for recreation, hay production, and pasturing cattle.
Conservation easements are voluntary legal agreements that permanently limit future land use in order to protect the land’s conservation value. Lands subject to conservation easements remain in private ownership, on local tax rolls, and available for traditional uses such as farming and hunting.
Learn more: fllt.org/conservation-easements-protect-280-acres-of-family-land-in-the-keuka-lake-watershed
Photo: Chris Ray
