How You Can Help   From the rugged forests of Zoar Valley to the sand dunes of Lake Ontario, with your help we can keep central and western New York protected for nature and for people. Western Finger Lakes Fast Facts Location: This landscape is located in Ontario, Livingston, Steuben and Yates Counties. How to Visit: The Nature Conservancy manages two preserves within this landscape: • Rob’s Trail, our newest 1.5-mile trail off of NYS Route 15A in the Town of Canadice. This trail connects with the City of Rochester's trail on the west side of Canadice Lake. • West Hill Preserve, a 450-acre showcase of Finger Lakes topography that demonstrates natural succession and features a long section of the Finger Lakes Trail. Did You Know? •Hemlock Lake is seven miles long and a half-mile across at its widest point. •Canadice Lake is three miles long and 0.3-mile long at its widest point. •The Hemlock/Canadice watershed is a designated Aubudon Important Bird Area. It supports two bald eagle nests and serves as a migratory stopover for loons and other birds. Timber rattlesnakes are rare, but can be found in the Finger Lakes area. Contact Us For more information, please contact: The Central & Western Chapter 1048 University Avenue Rochester, NY 14607 (585) 546-8030

The Western Finger Lakes is an ecosystem of forests, wetlands, and streams centered around four of the most intact Finger Lakes: Hemlock, Canadice, Honeoye and Canandaigua Lakes.

Hemlock and Canadice Lakes are the only two in the entire Finger Lakes chain whose shorelines remain undeveloped. Since 1876, the City of Rochester has utilized the water from the lakes—which lie fewer than 30 miles from Rochester—as its primary drinking water source.

The pristine water has helped Rochester prosper into one of New York’s largest cities. Prior to tapping Hemlock Lake, Rochesterians obtained their water from cisterns and wells, which resulted in frequent outbreaks of dysentery and a deadly cholera outbreak in 1852.

Shortly after the City constructed its conduit system, Hemlock Lake experienced a boom in cottage and hotel development along its shoreline. In the 1890s, a proposal to build a hotel and summer resort on the lake prompted the City to begin acquiring lakeshore properties to prevent development of the Hemlock-Canadice watershed and to safeguard the City’s investment in its drinking water supply. Today, the City of Rochester owns 7,100 acres of land in the watershed, including the entire shorelines of both lakes.

Why We Work Here

The Western Finger Lakes region features an intact forest that extends from Hemlock Lake eastward to the Naples Valley, including the Bristol Hills. Within this forest, visitors can find stands of eastern hemlocks that preside over steep ravines, a lush Appalachian oak-hickory forest, one of New York's largest silver-maple ash swamps and rare plants including spreading globeflower, orchids, wild gentian and some of the most diverse fern assemblages in the state.

River otters, woodland salamanders, native salmonids, bald eagles and black bear are common. The northern coal skink and timber rattlesnake are rare but characteristic finds. Migrating warblers and songbirds of all types inhabit the forests and fields.

Threats

Threats to the Finger Lakes include: 

• Residential development resulting from urban sprawl
• Water level changes
• Incompatible forestry practices
• Invasive species such as Japanese knotweed, garlic mustard, and swallow-wort

Conservation Strategy

The Nature Conservancy's goal is to preserve the forests, lakes, streams and wetlands of the Western Finger Lakes ecosystem using various land and wetland protection tools, including conservation easements and partnerships with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and NYS Office of Parks and Recreation.

With our partners and other stakeholders, we also develop management strategies to reduce forest fragmentation, maintain the forest interior habitat and restore the system’s natural hydrology. 

Conservation Actions

We have protected more than 4,000 acres of land in this landscape, including 1,100 acres of critical lands and waters in the Hemlock-Canadice Lakes watershed.

In 2003, the Conservancy helped protect a 900-acre tract of land that is now part of the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation's 2,100-acre Honeoye Inlet Wildlife Management Area.

In 2000, we received a donation of nearly 700 acres of wetlands from Mrs. Florence Muller. Located at the south end of Honeoye Lake, this large swamp system is one of the best examples of a silver maple-ash swamp in the entire state. Its ability to filter and purify water is critical to the water quality in Honeoye Lake. Mrs. Muller also donated her home to Finger Lakes Community College, which has made it the Muller Field Station.

In 2000, we teamed with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, Finger Lakes Community College, Rochester Gas & Electric and Seneca Park Zoo to release seven river otters in Honeoye Inlet.

Partners

Our partners in conservation include: NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, City of Rochester, NYS Office of Parks & Recreation, Rochester Area Community Foundation, Finger Lakes Land Trust, Boy Scouts of America, Rochester Museum & Science Center, NY River Otter Project, Finger Lakes Community College, Mrs. Florence Muller and the Marie and Joseph Wilson Foundation.

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Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © Carl Heilman II (Finger Lakes); Photo © Dave Powell, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org (globeflower); Photo © Tad Arensmeier (Timber rattlesnake).