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DRYDEN, NY (607NewsNow) – A popular hiking and outdoor recreation spot in Dryden is getting bigger.
On December 18, the Finger Lakes Land Trust (FLLT) announced the purchase of 108 acres bordering Yellow Barn State Forest.
The Ithaca-based conservation group intends to transfer the parcel to New York State as an addition to the forest. Due to its proximity to Hammond Hill State Forest and the Roy H. Park Preserve, it also strengthens the Emerald Necklace, a proposed greenbelt linking 50,000 acres of existing conservation land in an arc around Ithaca.
The property was purchased from the adult children of the late Peter Van Soest, an emeritus professor of Animal Science at Cornell, who passed away in 2021.
“Our father Peter Van Soest bought the ‘Hilltop’ land with friends in the early 1970s,” said John Van Soest. “It was their getaway for picnics and family swims. Eventually, he was the last owner; he wrote books there and held retreats with his students. It was a special place for him.”
Funding for the project comes from FLLT’s Opportunity Fund.