50 Acres Near Braddock Bay Protected (NY)

Greece, NY, February 24, 2005 -?The nonprofit Trust for Public Land (TPL) and the Town of Greece announced today the permanent protection of 50 acres near Braddock Bay in the Lake Ontario watershed. The property has been a high priority for acquisition for the Town of Greece. The land, now owned by Greece, will be managed as part of the New York State Department of Environmental ConservationBraddock Bay Fish and Wildlife Management Area. It will be open to the public for passive recreational purposes such as hiking and wildlife observation.

“Protection of this property will help preserve important habitat for migratory birds and other species,” said Clark Wallace, project manager for the Trust for Public Land. “In addition, it will provide a place for the residents of Greece to go and relax in a natural environment.”

The property, which had formerly been owned by the Rachow family, includes open fields and woods along Lowden Point Road. The town identified the property as a priority for protection due to its proximity to Braddock Bay Fish and Wildlife Management Area, and its ability to further help buffer the critical wildlife habitat provided by that complex of ponds, wetlands, and woods along the shoreline of Lake Ontario just west of Rochester. Braddock Bay has also been identified as a priority area for land protection by the State of New York, Monroe County, and the National Audubon Society.

This is the second land protection partnership between the Trust for Public Land and the Town of Greece, and TPL’s third land protection project in the Braddock Bay area.

“Acquiring the Rachow property was a priority in our efforts to protect valuable open space within the town. We continue to achieve our open space acquisition goals through joint efforts with other levels of government and with no expenditure of property tax dollars,” said Town Supervisor John Auberger.

Funds for the $480,000 purchase were provided by the Town of Greece and a grant from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation ($200,000). New York’s Great Lakes shoreline is an invaluable resource of utmost ecological significance. Protection of this property is part of the Trust for Public Land’s Great Lakes Greenprint, an effort to identify and preserve important properties in the Great Lakes watershed in New York, working in partnership with local communities and organizations. Funding for the greenprint effort is provided by the Henry Philip Kraft Memorial Fund and Sarah K. de Coizart Article TENTH Perpetual Charitable Trust.

Within New York’s Great Lakes watershed, the Trust for Public Land has completed 17 land protection projects totaling more than 4,700 acres. In Monroe County, TPL worked with government partners to acquire the 68-acre Burger Park and the 109-acre Dahlheim properties, both of which are now managed as part of theBraddock Bay Fish and Wildlife Management Area. Most recently, TPL helped the Town of Webster protect 130 acres of forested watershed land.

The Town of Greece has protected 420 acres with TPL and other partners since it reformed its open space committee in 2002. The town has surpassed the 3,000-acre mark for passive and active recreational areas within its 41.78 square miles. The town holds regular open space committee meetings. The next meeting, which will be open to the public, will take place at 1:00 p.m. on March 22, in the Eastman room at Town Hall, One Vince Tofany Boulevard. For more information, please call (585) 723-2361.

The Trust for Public Land is a national nonprofit land conservation organization that conserves land for people to enjoy as parks, gardens, and natural areas, ensuring livable communities for generations to come. Since 1972, TPL has helped protect more than 1.9 million acres of land in 46 states.