State to acquire prized land in Finger Lakes

[hikingandwildex]

https://www.fltimes.com/news/state-agrees-to-buy-boy-scout-camp-barton-in-covert/article_aec5426b-54bd-5d5e-9f89-7cfb2e9387e2.html

COVERT — The state Department of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation has signed a purchase agreement with Baden-Powell Council of the Boy Scouts of America to buy nearly 100 acres of Camp Barton in this Seneca County town.

The Binghamton-based Council decided to sell Camp Barton to pay its $1.4 million share of lawsuit settlements against BSA. The nationwide litigation is the result of sexual abuse of boys by Scout leaders.

The sale price and other details are being negotiated, according to Matthew Bull, CEO of Baden-Powell Council.

“Camp Barton has not been sold, but our Council has a signed purchase agreement with the state Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to buy it,” Bull reported. “The price is being negotiated, and we should be able to release that in a month or two.”

This will be an excellent addition to New York's state park system when the acquisition is finalized. Camp Barton is located on Cayuga Lake, the second-largest Finger Lake, and features an impressive 95-foot waterfall (Frontenac Falls). It's located next to the famous Taughannock Falls, close enough that it could be incorporated into the state park bearing its name.

[Banjoe]

This is indeed a wonderful acquisition that has shown what can be done when multiple agencies team together. It has involved two towns, a village, the state, and the Finger Lakes Land Trust. The development along the shoreline here has been intense, and this could have become another multi-million dollar estate and made these falls and the shoreline private. Paired with the Land Trust acquiring about a half-mile of shoreline a few miles north of this, on the other side of the lake, public access has gotten a great boost in the last year.
Let's hope the towns and state can figure out what to do with all the buildings (lodge and cabins) that also benefit the public.
Here is a photo of the falls further upstream, and another view of the falls shown in the previous post.
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[BillyGr]

This is indeed a wonderful acquisition that has shown what can be done when multiple agencies team together. It has involved two towns, a village, the state, and the Finger Lakes Land Trust. The development along the shoreline here has been intense, and this could have become another multi-million dollar estate and made these falls and the shoreline private. Paired with the Land Trust acquiring about a half-mile of shoreline a few miles north of this, on the other side of the lake, public access has gotten a great boost in the last year.

That is, assuming they are getting all of those - I don't know offhand how large the camp itself is (many of them, though, have a large piece of property beyond what is actually used for standard camping).
Only thinking because it says buying nearly 100 acres of Camp Barton, not that they are buying the entire property.

Unfortunate for the program that they have to sell them (and some councils have found ways to raise funds by keeping the property but leasing out some parts or times to others), but at least a good thing that it gets to be open to the public rather than getting developed into something else.

[hikingandwildex]

According to the BSA council's website, Camp Barton is nearly 130 acres. I have to imagine the waterfall and lakeshore area will be part of the acquired land.

https://www.bpcouncil.org/camping/campbarton/camp-barton-summer-camp/