Additional Lands Protected Along Honeoye Creek
The latest conservation project along Honeoye Creek expands upon 26 years of work by Genesee Valley Conservancy. Thanks to the conservation ethic of landowners Steve and Jan Ashley, another 219 acres of open space have been protected along the Honeoye Creek in Richmond, Ontario County.
Their conservation easement donation is the couple’s fourth such contribution to protecting land in the town of Richmond. Combined with public conservation projects by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), lands owned by Genesee Valley Conservancy, and lands owned by the not-for-profit Bergen Swamp Preservation Society, there are now 4,596 acres of contiguous open space protected in the area.
The conservation easement protecting the Ashley property keeps the land privately owned and on the tax rolls. The easement prevents the subdivision and development of the land in order to keep the valuable open space and agricultural uses that the property provides intact today and for generations to come.
The property is a mix of forest, shrub, and agricultural land uses. The Ashley’s land protected by this project include 38% USDA Prime soils, which support the local hay industry. The land also scores highly on climate resiliency scales that measure the land’s ability to adapt to our changing climate and continue to provide ecological benefits into the future.
On measures of resilience, connectedness, and landscape diversity the property has above average or far above average ratings. These scores are driven by the lands location along the Honeoye Creek and the important upland buffers to this water source.
Around 900 feet of frontage along Honeoye Creek are protected as part of this project.
Lands protected as part of this project include over 1,900 feet of scenic road frontage which will remain as intact vistas of the rural, agricultural and forested landscape, that defines Richmond’s character.
This conservation project involved accepting the 4th conservation easement in the town of Richmond by the Conservancy and the 122nd easement accepted by the organization since its founding in 1990. The total land protected via Genesee Valley Conservancy is now 30,804 acres, continuing the organization’s surge past the 30,000 acre milestone achieved earlier this fall.
Genesee Valley Conservancy works throughout the Genesee River watershed to protect high quality habitat, open space and farmland for the community.
Landowners in the Genesee River watershed interested in pursuing conservation options for their property, be it farmland, habitat, or a potential public nature preserve, should contact Genesee Valley Conservancy for more information.
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Genesee Valley Conservancy is a nationally accredited non-profit conservation organization working to protect the habitat, open space and farmland in the Genesee River watershed. Over 30,804 acres of natural habitat and productive farm and forest land have been conserved by Genesee Valley Conservancy with private landowners. The organization also owns nature preserves open to the public year-round for recreation and education. For more information visit www.geneseevalleyconservancy.org