The shorefronts of Hemlock and Canadice Lakes are officially state property, now that Rochester officials have signed over the land. As its next step, the state will plan how to manage the approximately 7,000 acres.

The property is under the purview of the Department of Environmental Conservation, which develops a unit management plan for open space or parkland properties that the state takes over.

The plan will include an inventory of fish, wildlife, and timber, and it will also note land and water uses such as hiking, fishing and non-motorized boating. If the state decides to add or discontinue uses or management practices, that would also be in the plan.

"We're still so early in the process," says DEC Region 8 spokesperson Linda Vera.

The agency will probably start its internal process in August, Vera says, and will begin gathering public input in the fall. The plan will take at least two years to finish, she says.

The two lakes serve as the city's drinking water supply and are the only two undeveloped Finger Lakes.  Advocates inside and outside of government have long stressed the importance of permanently protecting the land. Bald eagles nest in the area and river otters were successfully reintroduced 10 years ago.

The Nature Conservancy of Central and Western New York owns properties adjoining the state land. Jim Howe, the organization's executive director, says the state's plan will cover several issues of public interest including recreational uses, wildlife, and forest management.

"Will there be pressure to expand recreational opportunities, that's the question," Howe says.

The state will also have the opportunity, he says, to experiment with things like invasive species control and species reintroduction.