SCIPIO, N.Y. (WHCU) – The Finger Lakes Land Trust (FLLT) has planted hundreds of trees on a property in Cayuga County.

FLLT staff and volunteers recently completed the work on a 160-acre property in Scipio that was protected with an easement by the Ithaca-based conservation group earlier this year in January. Nearly 400 trees and shrubs were planted along 5,000 feet of a tributary that flows into Owasco Lake. The riparian buffer will help combat harmful algal blooms by reducing the amount of nutrient that flows into the lake, as well as enhance wildlife habitat and promote plant diversity.

Owasco Lake is a source of drinking water for more than 40,000 people in Cayuga County, including the City of Auburn.