MORAVIA — The state Department of Environmental Conservation and The Nature Conservancy in New York announced Wednesday that 92 acres will be added to the Owasco Flats Wildlife Management Area in Moravia, more than doubling its size.
“Doubling the acres of Owasco Flats Wildlife Management Area is great news for Owasco Lake water quality, habitat preservation of diverse wildlife and fish species, and public recreational opportunities for people of varying ages and abilities,” said acting DEC commissioner Amanda Lefton.
“Part of a major pathway for migrating birds, the property sits in the Owasco Inlet floodplain and provides vital, natural flood storage during large storms, buffering communities from flooding and droughts and providing habitat to birds, fish, and other wildlife,” said Bill Ulfelder, executive director of The Nature Conservancy, which donated the land that it acquired in a donation by the Dale C. Parmley Trust.
The conservancy planted 2,000 trees along the riverbank and other vegetation to prevent erosion and protect water quality.
The parcel features public access to 5,000 feet of Owasco Inlet shoreline, enhancing fishing opportunities for rainbow trout, brown trout, northern pike, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, rock bass, brown bullhead and white sucker. The inlet is one of the primary spawning streams for rainbow and brown trout in the Owasco Lake watershed and provides spawning habitat for northern pike.
The wildlife management area is within a major migratory bird corridor, the “Greater Summerhill Important Bird Area” as designated by the Audubon Society, and the Owasco Lake Waterfowl Winter Concentration Area, the DEC reports. It’s close to the Finger Lakes Grassland Bird Focus Area. Visitors may see a range of bird species including mallard and wood ducks, Canada and snow geese, bald eagles and songbirds. Owasco Flats also provides foraging habitats for raptors, white-tailed deer, muskrat, mink and beaver.
The DEC plans to expand the wetlands. In 2024 it awarded Ducks Unlimited, Inc. more than $252,000 to create and restore wetlands there.
The Owasco Inlet is the largest tributary to Owasco Lake, which provides drinking water to more than 40,000 people.
Maps and additional information about Owasco Flats Wildlife Management Area can be found on DEC’s website. A map of the acquisition area is attached.
For details about the area, go to https://tinyurl.com/3tn8dwzv.
