Bear Lake Preserve is part of a complex of wetlands and forested lands that make up the Western New York Wildway. 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 significant, 900-acre swath of land in the Western New York Wildway. Multiple rare habitat types exist here and support a diversity of rare wildlife.
The grant was announced in late December by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) and is through the 2025 Regional Economic Development Council initiative, part of $25.4 million distributed through the state’s Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) to support 49 projects across New York…