BEAR LAKE PRESERVE
Rarely do properties of this importance come on the market. In Western New York, most lakeshores have been heavily developed over generations, leaving only small fragments of natural habitat behind. Bear Lake is different. Its wetlands, forests, and undeveloped shoreline remain remarkably intact, providing a rare refuge for wildlife, protecting water quality, and offering a glimpse of what our region’s coastal landscape once looked like.
The protection of Bear Lake Preserve's 311 acres represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to safeguard an entire coastal ecosystem, from emergent marsh and open water to mature forest and critical stopover habitat for migratory birds. Preserving this landscape will not only conserve biodiversity and strengthen climate resilience, but also ensure that future generations can experience a wild, undeveloped lake in a region where such places have all but disappeared.
Recognizing the significance of this property, New York State has awarded us $675,000 through the Environmental Protection Fund to kickstart the project. That means we have $900,000 left to raise by the end of 2026 to permanently protect this property.
Will you help us permanently protect the Bear Lake Preserve?
A Growing Conservation Corridor
The Bear Lake Preserve is a key piece in a growing conservation corridor in northern Chautauqua County. Together with the nearby College Lodge Forest, protected in 2022, and Floating Fen, protected in 2023, these lands will form a connected network of forests, wetlands, and wildlife habitat totaling nearly 1,000 acres across 2.5 miles.
This corridor is also an important component of the WNY Wildway, our landscape-scale vision to protect and connect large natural areas so plants and animals can move freely across Western New York. Bear Lake lies within a priority linkage and helps close critical gaps between previously protected lands. That connectivity supports healthier wildlife populations and strengthens the region’s resilience to climate change.
With Bear Lake Preserve added, a continuous ribbon of protected land is taking shape, one that improves water quality, stores carbon, reduces habitat fragmentation, and creates new opportunities for education and low-impact recreation. Each project builds on the last, creating a lasting legacy of connected conservation.
