Pictured is a map of the Bear Lake Preserve.

The Land Conservancy announced Tuesday it has been awarded a $675,000 state grant toward the acquisition of the Bear Lake Preserve in the town of Stockton. The grant, announced in late December by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation through the 2025 Regional Economic Development Council initiative, is part of $25.4 million distributed through the state’s Environmental Protection Fund to support 49 projects across New York.

The Land Conservancy must raise an additional $900,000 this year to complete the project. Once protected, the 311-acre Bear Lake Preserve will be a publicly accessible nature preserve maintained by the Land Conservancy. It will also include shoreline access to the state Department of Environmental Conservation water trail on the 114-acre lake, with connectivity to the existing public boat launch. Since 2010, the Bear Lake Association has successfully undertaken an all-natural biocontrol program in Bear Lake to reduce invasive weeds and improve water quality in Bear Lake.

“The Bear Lake property is a rare opportunity to protect the entire southern shoreline of a remarkable inland lake,” says Marisa Riggi, Executive Director of the Western New York Land Conservancy. “The Bear Lake Complex, which includes the Bear Lake property, College Lodge Forest, Floating Fen, and Looney property, comprises some of the most ecologically important lands in Chautauqua County and Western New York. Every visit underscores how important these lands are to the wildlife of our region. The diverse range of habitats here are home to some of the rarest plant and animal communities in our region, and we are thrilled to receive this generous support from the Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) to help protect this amazing place. New York’s Environmental Protection Fund is a deeply impactful program that, over many years, has helped to permanently protect hundreds of thousands of acres across the state for the benefit of New Yorkers from all walks of life. We are grateful to New York State and OPRHP for recognizing the importance of the Bear Lake Preserve this year.”

Bear Lake Preserve is part of a complex of high-quality wetlands and forested lands. It’s connected to the permanently protected College Lodge Forest and Floating Fen — owned by the Land Conservancy — as well as the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy’s recently acquired Looney property. Together, these interconnected forests represent a hugely significant, 900-acre swath of land in the WNY Wildway. Multiple rare habitat types exist here and support a diversity of rare wildlife.

Jay Bailey, Regional Director for the Allegany Region of Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation, says: “Supporting the Western New York Land Conservancy’s acquisition and protection of these lands and vulnerable natural communities around Bear Lake in Chautauqua County, while also providing for public access for outdoor recreation, is a great example of how effective the Environmental Protection Fund can be. Protecting habitats and water quality, enhancing physical connectivity between natural areas, protecting and enhancing biodiversity, and providing places for the public to experience and learn about the natural world–or just escape the everyday rigors of modern life–is a benefit to us all, and dovetails nicely with the mission of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation.”

The Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy, a lead Western New York Wildway partner based in Lakewood, recently closed on the 133-acre Looney property adjacent to the Floating Fen Preserve. This property now joins the Floating Fen, College Lodge Forest, and — once it’s protected — Bear Lake Preserve as a critical stretch of the Wildway. “The Bear Lake watershed is a rare, sensitive landscape that supports unique hydrology, wetlands, and species you simply can’t replace once they’re lost,” says Whitney Gleason, CWC’s Executive Director. “Over the past two years, as a lead partner in the WNY Wildway Partner Network, we’ve discussed opportunities to protect even more land in Chautauqua County. Acquisitions such as Looney and Bear Lake move us closer to a resilient, intact conservation corridor that will benefit wildlife, water quality, and our community for generations to come. We are so glad to team with the Western New York Land Conservancy. ”

Bob and Anne Deming, summer residents on the lake for 48 years and authors of three books on the history of Bear lake, say: “This beautiful lake is very important to us and many others in Western New York. As the only lake in the region to have its invasive weed growth controlled exclusively by natural biocontrols, creating the Bear Lake Preserve will help support the continuance of that 15-year old project and ensure the health of the lake for the future.”

The Western New York Land Conservancy is a regional, non-profit land trust that has protected more than 8,400 acres of land with significant conservation value in Western New York for the benefit of future generations. It envisions a future in which forests, farms, meadows, and waterways are connected, cherished, and protected in Western New York.

The Land Conservancy is accredited by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission. For more information on upcoming events, volunteer opportunities, or the mission of the Western New York Land Conservancy, please call (716) 687-1225 or visit wnylc.org.