WNY Land Conservancy seeks interested landowners along Lower Niagara & Niagara Escarpment for land protection program

Western New York Land Conservancy Press Release and Image

Thanks to a grant from the Greenway Ecological Standing Committee (GESC), the Western New York Land Conservancy is seeking landowners who live along the Lower Niagara River and the Niagara Escarpment who wish to permanently protect their land under the Land Conservancy’s Lower Niagara and Niagara Escarpment land protection program.

“The Lower Niagara and Niagara Escarpment regions contain ecologically valuable land,” says Sarah Costlow, the Land Conservancy’s land protection director, “and they support truly unique ecosystems. This is an exciting opportunity to protect additional land in these important areas. With this funding, we'll be able to determine if a property meets our ecological values and then work with interested landowners to protect their property.”

One property was already turned into a town park as a result of this program. Camp Stonehaven, which the Town of Lewiston closed on in 2023, is a 66.9-acre park that’s open for all to enjoy.

"We were thrilled to work with the Land Conservancy to purchase Camp Stonehaven last year and open it up as Stonehaven Preserve," Town Supervisor Steve Broderick said. "Since Stonehaven is located adjacent to Clyde Burmaster Park, we were able to create a larger area that both the public and wildlife can enjoy. The Niagara Escarpment is an absolutely wonderful treasure that extends all the way to Wisconsin, and we're lucky to have a piece of it here in Western New York. The Town of Lewiston values its unique plant life and habitat, and we encourage people to visit Stonehaven Preserve."

The Land Conservancy is asking people who own land in these areas to contact Sarah Costlow at [email protected] or via telephone at: 716-687-1225, ext. 119.

Participation in this program is completely voluntary. The Land Conservancy is able to pay up to appraised value when purchasing a property, but it always appreciates donations as well. For more information about the Land Conservancy, visit wnylc.org.

The Western New York Land Conservancy is a regional, nonprofit land trust that has protected more than 7,500 acres of land with significant conservation value in our region. We envision a future in which forests, farms, meadows and waterways are connected, cherished and protected in Western New York. We are accredited by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission. To learn more about our mission and vision, and to read our land acknowledgement, visit wnylc.org.