Where We Work The Central & Western Chapter of The Nature Conservancy covers nearly half the state of New York! Click on the red dots to learn more about our preserves. Places We Protect French Creek Watershed Zoar Valley/Cattaraugus Creek Allegany Forest Montezuma Wetlands Complex Western Finger Lakes Hemlock/Canadice Lakes Thousand Acre Swamp O.D. von Engeln Preserve at Malloryville Rome Sand Plains Tug Hill Plateau Eastern Lake Ontario Dunes and Wetlands   El Dorado Beach Preserve Lake Ontario Water Levels Alvar Barrens and Grasslands   Chaumont Barrens Preserve

The Central & Western New York Chapter of The Nature Conservancy covers 29 counties, nearly half the state of New York. Headquartered in Rochester, the Chapter maintains field offices in Pulaski, Ellicottville, and Meadville, Pennsylvania, and owns and manages nearly 25,000 acres within central and western New York.

Many of our preserves are publicly accessible and equipped with trails, guides, and visitor areas.  To find out more about our natural areas and how you can visit, please download our printable map (.pdf 1.5 MB)!

Priority Conservation Areas

The following areas represent the “Last Great Places” that the Central and Western New York Chapter is working to protect. For more information on these, please look at the specific webpages devoted to each site.

• Tug Hill Plateau, a mosaic of lush forests, extensive wetlands, and intact rivers and streams.

• French Creek, the Northeast’s most diverse river system with 86 species of fish and 26 species of mussels.

• Western Finger Lakes, including Hemlock and Canadice lakes, the Honeoye and Naples valleys, and the Bristol Hills.

• Zoar Valley, the “Letchworth of the Lake Erie Basin.”

• Allegany Forest, one of the state’s largest intact forested areas and some of the country’s most valuable timberland.

• Montezuma marshes, a premier wetland complex of global significance to migratory birds.

• Lake Ontario and Lake Erie shoreline habitats, which are important concentration areas for migratory birds.
• Thousand Acre Swamp, an oasis of biodiversity in Rochester’s very backyard.
• O.D. von Engeln Preserve at Malloryville, where visitors can view an amazing diversity of wetlands as well as the geological features that created them.

• Rome Sand Plains, a montage of pine barrens, ancient sand dunes, and wetlands.
• Eastern Lake Ontario dunes and wetlands, a freshwater dune barrier system teeming with flora and fauna.

• Alvar barrens and grasslands, an outpost of prairie in northern New York.

Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © Carl Heilman II (Robert H. Treman State Park); Photo © Carl Heilman II (driftwood).