Finger Lakes Land Trust / April 18, 2026
The Finger Lakes Land Trust (FLLT) accepted the donation of two conservation easements protecting adjacent properties on Waterburg Road in the town of Ulysses, Tompkins County. The easements were granted by landowners and neighbors Scott Sutcliffe and Don and Eilene Guy, whose combined properties total 46 acres and contain 3,200 feet along Taughannock Creek.
Scott is a longtime supporter of land conservation who owns a 58-acre property already protected by an FLLT conservation easement. To increase the impact of his first easement, Scott introduced the FLLT to his neighbors, Don and Eilene. “I get a lot of personal enrichment from sharing my love of the outdoors,” Scott said.
Photo: Chris Ray
Eilene’s mother was a naturalist who planted thousands of trees on her property, now owned by the Guys. “We wanted to pass it forward by protecting this property for future generations,” said Eilene. “I think my mother would approve.”
The properties contain a mix of fields and forested areas, and the land along Taughannock Creek on both parcels acts as a floodplain during strong storm events. Protection of these lands will safeguard the water quality of Taughannock Creek, which flows northeast from the properties, over Taughannock Falls, and into Cayuga Lake. Additionally, the easements will safeguard habitat for migrant and breeding birds that utilize the creek corridor, as well as forests and fields on the properties.
Funding from the Tompkins County Natural Infrastructure Capital Program covered transaction and stewardship costs associated with this project.
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.
Original story here: https://www.fllt.org/neighbors-unite-to-protect-over-3000-feet-along-taughannock-creek-in-tompkins-county/
