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Our chapter of The Nature Conservancy has protected nearly 100,000 acres of central and western New York’s most important and unique landscapes (we call these priority conservation landscapes).
We own and manage the largest privately owned conservation reserve in the entire state—the 15,000-acre Tug Hill Conservation Area—as well as many smaller nature preserves. Most are open to the public and equipped with trails, guides and visitor areas; we hope you'll have a chance to get out on the land!
Our printable preserve map will help you plan your trip (.pdf; 1.5MB).
Places to Visit
CHAUTAUQUA/ALLEGANY
- French Creek (Chautauqua County): Explore one of the Northeast’s most biologically diverse river systems that harbors several rare fish and freshwater mussels. French Creek is part of our Upper Allegheny River priority conservation area.
- Moss Lake (Allegany County): This acidic bog, a glacial relic of the last Ice Age, is home to specialized plants such as bog laurel and round-leaved and spatulate-leaved sundew.
NIAGARA FRONTIER
- Deer Lick (Cattaraugus County): Ramble through several hundred acres of forest and see spectacular gorge views of the South Branch of Cattaraugus Creek, which supports rare tiger beetles, black bears, and an assortment of birds including yellow-billed cuckoos and forest-breeding warblers. Deer Lick is part of our Zoar Valley priority conservation area.
FINGER LAKES/SOUTHERN TIER
- Rob’s Trail (Ontario County): Our newest trail celebrates the life and conservation spirit of our distinguished Board chair, Rob van der Stricht, who passed away in 2006. Here, you can hike a 1.5-mile level loop that winds through a variety of early successional plant communities. Extend your hike with an optional 0.75-mile spur trail that connects to Canadice Trail on the western shoreline, which is owned by the City of Rochester.
- Rush Oak Openings (Monroe County): Enjoy this oak-savanna community of spreading oak trees and native grasses, which is one of the easternmost examples of "oak openings" in the country.
- West Hill (Ontario County): View several examples of natural succession as you hike through this classic example of stunning Finger Lakes topography. West Hill includes a long segment of the Finger Lakes Trail that runs between Naples and the Ontario County Park at Gannett Hill.
- Frenchman’s Bluff (Chemung County): Enjoy the scenery as you traverse the forests along a steep and picturesque bluff on the north side of the Chemung River. Be sure to visit to the adjacent Tanglewood Nature Center, and keep your eyes open for bald eagles that work the river.
- Eldridge Wilderness (Tompkins County): On Ithaca’s South Hill, discover a diverse range of plant communities that includes many of the Northeast’s vegetative types.
- O.D. von Engeln Preserve at Malloryville (Tompkins County): View a remarkable diversity of wetlands and the geological features that created them. Bring your fishing rod and try your luck in nearby Fall Creek.
ONTARIO LAKE PLAIN
- Thousand Acre Swamp (Monroe County): Enjoy an 800-acre oasis of biodiversity in Rochester’s very own backyard. This preserve, where we've worked since 1971, has miles of friendly trails, a boardwalk and is wheelchair accessible. Be sure to check out the guided hike schedule on our website.
- Chaumont Barrens (Jefferson County): Visit this strikingly unique alvar grassland; hike through limestone woodlands and over calcareous pavement barrens, where the bedrock lies at the surface. Chaumont Barrens is home to many uncommon and globally rare plants and is part of our Alvar Barrens and Grasslands priority conservation area.
- El Dorado Beach (Jefferson County): Relax on the beach or look for shorebirds and waterfowl as they feed along the shoreline in the fall. El Dorado Beach is part of our Eastern Lake Ontario priority conservation area.
- Rome Sand Plains Preserve (Oneida County): Hike among these rare pine barrens and catch a glimpse of the frosted elfin butterfly, a threatened species in New York which is solely dependent on the nectar produced by wild blue lupine. These trails are part of our Rome Sand Plains priority conservation area.
NORTH COUNTRY
- Lake Julia (Oneida County): Nestled in the western Adirondack foothills, Lake Julia Preserve features 10 different habitat types spread over 800 acres. The abundant snowfall here guarantees great cross-country skiing on our trail system. Lake Julia is just outside of our Tug Hill Plateau priority conservation area.
Back to the Central & Western Homepage >>
Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © Carl Heilman II (Zoar Valley); Photo © David Cappaert, Michigan State University, Bugwood.org (bloodroot); Map © TNC.
