Conservation Easements in Steuben County, New York

Bad Bear Hill: the Finger Lakes Land Trust's largest project ever, in Steuben County

The Finger Lakes Land Trust (FLLT), a private nonprofit that has permanently protected more than 34,000 acres across the wider Finger Lakes region, has singled out its Bad Bear Hill project -- a roughly 992-acre property in the Towns of Erwin and Lindley, just southwest of Corning -- as the largest single conservation effort in the organization's history. That scale matters for anyone evaluating land in that specific area: a nearly 1,000-acre block permanently taken off the development market, whether through outright FLLT ownership or a conservation easement restricting a private owner's future use, materially changes the surrounding land market -- fewer potential future subdivisions nearby, but also a large, permanent open-space and forest-block neighbor with likely public-access trails.

Separately, FLLT has also accepted donated conservation easements protecting roughly 283 acres near Hammondsport, at the south end of Keuka Lake -- land that includes open fields, steep forested hillsides, and small tributaries draining directly into the lake, donated by a family that had owned it since the early 1900s and had used it for grape growing, hay production, and cattle pasture. FLLT separately holds an easement over forest bordering Keuka Lake at Bluff Point, the bluff dividing the lake's two arms. Together, these show FLLT's Steuben County activity isn't a single one-off acquisition but an ongoing, multi-site presence concentrated around Corning and the Keuka Lake watershed specifically.

What a Finger Lakes Land Trust easement actually restricts

A conservation easement held by FLLT is a permanent, recorded deed restriction that runs with the land regardless of ownership changes -- a future buyer of an easement-encumbered Steuben County parcel inherits the same restrictions the original landowner agreed to when donating or selling the easement. Typical FLLT easement terms restrict further subdivision, prohibit new large-scale development or commercial use inconsistent with the land's conserved character, and often preserve existing agricultural, forestry, or low-impact recreational use (as with the Hammondsport parcel's continued hay and cattle use) -- but exact terms are negotiated parcel by parcel and are not standardized across every FLLT easement. This research pass did not obtain the specific recorded easement language for either Bad Bear Hill or the Hammondsport parcels, and a buyer should not assume identical restrictions apply to both.

Some FLLT-protected parcels (like Bad Bear Hill, apparently intended in part as a nature preserve) become fully FLLT-owned rather than staying in private hands under easement -- a different outcome than a landowner-retained conservation easement. Confirm directly with FLLT and a title search which structure applies to any specific parcel before assuming private ownership continues.

What this means for a buyer evaluating land near either site

1. Confirm whether a specific parcel you're evaluating near Corning, Erwin, Lindley, or Hammondsport is itself FLLT-owned, FLLT-easement-encumbered, or unrestricted private land -- a title search and a direct check with the Steuben County Clerk and FLLT are the way to find out, since an easement is a recorded restriction that survives a sale.
2. If a parcel adjoins FLLT-protected land, expect that neighboring land to remain undeveloped indefinitely -- a genuine amenity for privacy and viewshed, and often adjacent to public hiking trails (FLLT operates 45-plus public nature preserves regionwide), but also a possible source of public foot traffic near a property boundary.
3. If you're a landowner rather than a buyer and curious whether FLLT would be interested in an easement or purchase on your own Steuben County land -- particularly near Keuka Lake or the Bad Bear Hill area -- FLLT accepts inquiries from willing sellers or donors, though it evaluates parcels against its own conservation priorities and not every offer is accepted.
4. Remember that a conservation easement is separate from -- and does not substitute for -- standard town zoning and county septic permitting; a buildable, unrestricted portion of an easement-encumbered parcel (if any exists) still needs to clear the town's own zoning and the standard Appendix 75-A septic process described on the county hub.