BROCTON, N.Y. (WKBW) — A new 2-mile hiking trail in Chautauqua County offers visitors a chance to explore one of nature’s rarest habitats: a floating fen.
The Western New York Land Conservancy recently opened the trail to the Floating Fen Preserve, a project that has been in development for several years. It aims to preserve the unique floating fen ecosystem while making it accessible to the public.
“A fen is a type of wetland, and we call it a floating fen because it’s a type of wetland that has a peat mat,” said Josh Balisteri, stewardship director with the Western New York Land Conservancy. “It’s basically a floating layer of soil that is sitting on top of an aquatic layer of water.”…