Allegany Wildlands

The Western New York Land Conservancy announced it has met its fundraising goal to purchase the Allegany Wildlands.

The 200-acre forest is located in South Valley near Allegany State Park in Cattaraugus County. The Western New York Land Conservancy and Friends of the Allegany Wildlands raised $879,000 for the purchase, which included a $347,000 grant form the State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

Western New York Land Conservancy Deputy Executive Director Jajean Rose-Burney said they’re so excited to be able to move forward with purchasing the property, “This forest has American Chestnut trees, which is, these trees have basically been wiped out 100 years ago by a blight. But, this property still has 5 or 6 that are 40 to 60 feet tall, some that are flowering, great wildlife – bobcats, black bears, great plants, orchids. It’s a place that 10,000 years ago wasn’t even covered by glaciers so these plant communities have had much longer to develop and become more diverse.”

Rose-Burney said once the land purchase goes through this year, they hope to open it to the public as a nature preserve that includes walking trails by middle of 2023.