HAMMONDSPORT, NY (607NewsNow) – The Finger Lakes Land Trust (FLLT) is expanding in Steuben County.

On January 13, the Ithaca-based conservation group announced a donation of 283 acres in Hammondsport.

The property, located off Winding Stair Road in the Keuka Lake watershed, was donated by sisters Yolanda Adrean and Dolores Wheeler. It’s been in their family since the early 1900s. According to FLLT, the site has a long history of grape growing, but is currently used for hay production, cattle pastures, and recreation.

The conservation easements will safeguard the lake’s water quality, expand an existing area of protected lands, and maintain wildlife habitats. Conservation easements are voluntary legal agreements that permanently limit future land use to protect the land’s conservation value. They remain in private ownership, on local tax rolls, and are available for farming and hunting.

Read more from FLLT here.