Indian Creek Woods canopy September 2014

Dear Friends —

We have great news for all of you who have supported our efforts to save the Indian Creek woods: NRP has pulled out of the “Cayuga Trails” project and will not be building its townhouse development on our 25.5 acres of woodland and wildlife habitat.

ICNA received confirmation today from a town official that after NRP began its mandated environmental review of the property, surveyors determined that the wetland on the site is much larger than county officials and NRP expected. It extends through the center of the property.

Your strong support and contributions enabled ICNA to take legal action to force the county to do an extensive environmental review before building on the land. If not for your efforts, construction may have started without proper planning and the woods could now be gone. We congratulate NRP for making a wise decision early in the process by pulling out of this site.

The support ICNA has received over this past year has been overwhelming. The public has spoken: Save the Indian Creek Woods!

We still have work to do to preserve this important woodland and wildlife habitat. And public officials must be held accountable in performing their most important duty – to serve as good stewards of our environment and to preserve it for future generations. The county legislature must revisit Resolution 4345 passed on Oct. 1, 2013, which declared that the 25.5 acres of woodland are “no longer needed for public use.”

There IS a public use for the woods: helping to mitigate the effects of rapid climate change on the Cayuga Lake watershed.

Last weekend hundreds of Ithacans joined the massive climate march in NYC to demand that public officials address the climate crisis. The Indian Creek woods are a small but vital piece of the delicate ecosystem of the Finger Lakes. We can’t cut down 25.5 acres of woods and wetland – and displace innumerable animals – because of shortsightedness and lack of imagination. The Earth is at a crossroads, and we must do our part to keep it healthy.

We pledge to work with public officials at every level to develop a plan to contribute to the worldwide effort of preserving our planet’s environment by preserving the environmental health and beauty of our own backyard.