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Conservation Update

 

State Buys Hemlock, Canadice Lakes

New York State has completed the purchase of Hemlock and Canadice lakes, the last undeveloped lakes in the Finger Lakes. The state paid the city of Rochester $13.7 million for about 7,000 acres in the towns of Livonia, Conesus, Springwater, Richmond and Canadice.

This was a major open-space protection project, which was made possible through the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF). ADK lobbied for the state purchase of Canadice and Hemlock lakes and has been an outspoken advocate for the EPF, helping to maintain the integrity of the EPF and ensuring that it provides adequate funding for critical environmental projects.

The property will be known as the Hemlock-Canadice State Forest and be managed by the Department of Environmental Conversation (DEC). DEC will be developing a unit management plan (UMP) for the area. The UMP process, which is expected to take at least two years to complete, offers the public an opportunity to voice its concerns and priorities for the property.

State purchase will expand recreational opportunities while continuing to protect the city’s drinking-water supply. The Hemlock and Canadice lakes property is prime habitat for fish and wildlife. Two pairs of bald eagles nest in the watershed, and the lakes support an important cold-water trout fishery.

Neil F. Woodworth
Executive Director
Adirondack Mountain Club