in the news
Land Conservancy Awarded $1.3 Million State Grant toward the Protection of a Large Cattaraugus County Forest
November 10, 2026: The Western New York Land Conservancy will soon permanently protect roughly 400 acres in Randolph, Cattaraugus County. This project is funded in part thanks to $1.3 million through the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Open Space Conservation Grant Program through appropriations from the New York State Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) and Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act. The Land Conservancy will be fundraising for this project next year in hopes of permanently protecting this beautiful property.
Protecting this forest will also strengthen one of the largest core habitat areas within the Western New York Wildway. It borders the 1,142-acre Pine Hill State Forest, which connects to the 4,246-acre South Valley State Forest, Allegany State Park, and the Allegheny National Forest. It is located near the 377-acre Janet Gallogly Allegany Wildlands, which the Land Conservancy has already purchased and protected.
Three Western New York Farms Awarded Major State Funding
November 10, 2026: In October, New York State announced more than $48.5 million in funding to protect 43 farms across the state. Thanks to these awards, three more farms totaling 567 acres will be protected in Western New York. The farms selected for funding represent the diversity of agriculture in our region: the Rettig Farm in Middleport (Niagara County), a 230-acre hay-farming operation; the Youngers Farmland in North Java (Wyoming County) includes 294 acres that support the Sregnuoy family’s dairy operation. And in Eden (Erie County), Henry Farmland encompasses 43 acres leased to two agricultural operators who grow vegetables and field crops, including crops that support a local dairy.
The Land Conservancy Secures Major Restoration Funding for Grand Island Preserve
October 28, 2026: The Western New York Land Conservancy is thrilled to announce that the Greenway Ecological Standing Committee (GESC) has awarded them a $203,000 grant to restore the 38.3-acre Jim and Edna Braddell Preserve, an ecologically significant, permanently protected nature preserve on Grand Island owned by the Land Conservancy since 2024. The funding will be spread out over three years.
The Land Conservancy to Host Acclaimed Author Leigh Ann Henion at Trinity Episcopal Church on June 11th
May 26, 2026: The Western New York Land Conservancy welcomes acclaimed author and journalist Leigh Ann Henion to Buffalo to discuss her book Night Magic: Adventures Among Glowworms, Moon Gardens, and Other Marvels of the Dark. In this timely conversation, Henion explores the hidden wonders that emerge after sunset and invites us to rediscover the natural world in a whole new light, by experiencing it in the dark.
BTPMs "Morning Edition": Author carries a message on darkness to Buffalo
WXXI Rochester's "Connections": Leigh Ann Henion on her book 'Night Magic' with Marisa Riggi and Dr. Wayne Gall
The Land Conservancy Awarded Major State Funding Toward Acquisition of Bear Lake Preserve
February 17, 2026: The Land Conservancy is thrilled to announce that it has been awarded a $675,000 state grant toward the acquisition of the Bear Lake Preserve in the town of Stockton (Chautauqua County). The grant (EPF 251076), announced in late December by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) through the 2025 Regional Economic Development Council initiative, is part of $25.4 million distributed through the state’s Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) to support 49 projects across New York.
Buffalo News (editorial): Tesla solar panel production and a Bear Lake Preserve
Buffalo Rising: The Land Conservancy is awarded $675,000 state grant toward 'promising' acquisition of Bear Lake Preserve
NY Almanack: Bear Lake Preserve in WNY Wildway being protected
Daily Observer: Conservancy wins funds for Bear Lake area
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Erie County and the Land Conservancy Partner to Educate and Train Communities to Stop the Spread of Deadly Invasive Pest
February 3, 2026: Eastern Hemlock trees are keystone species in healthy Western New York forests, essential habitat for insects and animals. For hundreds of years, they’ve kept our forests in ecological balance by providing shade for native plants and even brook trout, preventing soil erosion, and filtering pollutants and carbon dioxide from the air we breathe. Thanks to a grant from the United State Department of Agriculture, Forest Service (USDA-FS), Cornell Cooperative Extension of Erie County and the Western New York Land Conservancy are partnering to offer Hemlock Woolly Adelgid education and training to help stop the spread of this deadly pest.
Buffalo News: Hemlock forests in WNY threatened by invasive pests
The Land Conservancy Permanently Protects Bush Property, Part of a Critical WNY Wildway Linkage
January 21, 2026: The Western New York Land Conservancy is pleased to announce the purchase of a significant wetland in Birdsall, Allegany County. The 226-acre Black Creek Preserve is the first of five “Black Creek Protection Projects” that will be protected thanks to the generosity of our community, The Nature Conservancy in New York, and a critical grant from the New York State DEC's Water Quality Improvement Program (WQIP), which awarded the Land Conservancy a grant to work with willing land-owners to permanently protect land in the Black Creek watershed.
Buffalo News: Land Conservancy adds another link to WNY Wildway
Buffalo News (Editorial Board): Help is on the way for wildlife, farmers and families burdened by medical debt
Buffalo Rising: The Land Conservancy Permanently Protects Bush Property, Part of a Critical WNY Wildway Linkage
New York Almanack: More of WNY Wildway Protected by the Land Conservancy