Peter Hujik, executive
director of Otsego Land Trust,
recently announced Otsego
Land Trust and the New York
State Department of Environmental
Conservation have
signed a cooperative agreement
to develop public access
on the Susquehanna River at
Compton Bridge on County
Highway 11C in the town of
Middlefield.
With the cooperative agreement
in place, DEC will assist
Otsego Land Trust in the development
of a management
plan, design and development
of a small parking area,
recreational footpath and
cartop boat launch access for
the fishing community and
general public.
This strategically located
parcel along the Susquehanna
River encompasses an ecologically
significant floodplain
and 1,400 feet of river frontage,
officials said.
Compton Bridge dissects
the property and is a popular
viewing location during
the annual General Clinton
Canoe Regatta. Railroad tracks
owned by Leatherstocking
Railway form the eastern
boundary.
Otsego Land Trust’s purchase
of the three-acre parcel
along the river at the Otsego
County tax sale in 2008 was
spearheaded by John Robinson,
who was the recipient
of Otsego Land Trust’s 2009
Trailblazer Award for the
significant contribution he
has made in advancing land
protection efforts along the
Susquehanna River.
The Compton Bridge site
will be the first conservation
area owned and managed by
Otsego Land Trust with public
access when it opens this
summer.
Work is anticipated to begin
in June.
For more information, call
the Otsego Land Trust at 547-
2366.
