Chautauqua County’s state representatives are proposing legislation that will allow the county to repurpose reforested land in Ripley and Ellery.

On Feb. 12, a bill was introduced in the New York State Assembly that would allow for Chautauqua County to alienate or discontinue the use of some of the reforested lands within the county. While specifically stating that the lands would only be those that are not currently in use, the bill would hope to bring some additional land that can be of more use to county residents.

The bill was sponsored by Assemblyman Andrew Molitor, R-Westfield, and later sponsored in the state senate by Senator George Borello, R-Sunset Bay. The legislation seeks to allow certain parcels of public land to be sold off from within the towns of Ellery and Ripley. While simple sounding, the state has strict requirements when it comes to municipalities selling land. The regions must first gain an equivalent, or larger, market value of land that will be used to offset the amount being sold. The specific locations are listed as part of Lot 74, Town 3, and Range 15 of the Holland Land Company’s survey.

“Beginning at a point on the centerline of Irish Road, said centerline being also the southerly line of said Lot 74, at the southeasterly corner of lands of the County of Chautauqua as firstly described in a deed dated April 30, 1951 and recorded in the Chautauqua County Clerk’s Office on May 9, 1952 in Liber 717 of Deeds at page 96, said point of beginning being also the southwesterly corner of lands of Kimberly Greentree as described in a deed dated September 22, 2020 and recorded in the Chautauqua County Clerk’s Office on November 24, 2020,” the proposed Assembly Legislation stated.

The purpose behind this decision is large;y due to the want for publicly owned lands in the area to be of use to the local governments that own it. Currently, the roughly 41.468 acres of land that the officials are attempting to sell off is largely unusable. Not only does the location of these lands make accessing them difficult, but none of the lands are currently utilized for parks. None of these pieces of land even border parks even, and all three are separated by a great deal of space. The legislation noted that these parcels all exist next to properties or farm land, which has caused the county to incur high costs of maintaining unused land.

In preparation of the legislation, the county has identified a replacement parcel of land that would be of an equivalent value. This land is about 40.080 acres, which are located on a singular plot within the town of Arkwright. This land could not only prove to be more useful to county residents, but could potentially offer a new serve within the least populated town in the county.

“This legislation allows Chautauqua County to manage its public lands more effectively while strengthening long-term environmental stewardship,” Molitor said. “We are not reducing protected land. We are improving how it’s organized and used.”

Additional safeguards were put in place to ensure that the residents of the area will be protected from a potential loss of public lands. The legislation stated that if the lands are to ever be utilized for purposes other than what is currently intended, such as a land swap or replacement, then that land must be restored and maintained as reforested lands in compliance with County Law 219.

“This is about smart land management,” Borrello said. “By consolidating small, isolated parcels into larger, more practical acreage, we are investing in conservation, responsible governance and the long-term benefit of Chautauqua County residents.”

The legislation is currently under the review of the local government committees in both the Senate and Assembly. Should the legislation pass, it would go into effect immediately.