Black Creek Preserve serve as giant sponges that absorb and store excess rainwater, reducing the risk of flooding
From the WNY Land Conservancy,
The Western New York Land Conservancy is pleased to announce the purchase of a significant wetland in Birdsall, Allegany County. The 226-acre Black Creek Preserve is the first of five “Black Creek Protection Projects” that will be protected thanks to the generosity of our community, The Nature Conservancy in New York, and a critical grant from the New York State DEC’s Water Quality Improvement Program (WQIP), which awarded the Land Conservancy a grant to work with willing land-owners to permanently protect land in the Black Creek watershed.
The Black Creek Preserve contains forests, wetlands, and headwater streams. Located just southwest of the Keeney Swamp State Forest (2,408 acres), it adds important acreage to the core area of the WNY Wildway and protects drinking water for residents. An adjacent 50-acre property is also underway, which when protected will create a combined 276-acre nature preserve.
“The Black Creek Preserve is a biodiversity hotspot that’s home to an abundance of wildlife,” says Marisa Riggi, the Land Conservancy’s Executive Director. “We find everything from amphibians and birds to native plants and pollinators—even river otters, a species which was regionally extinct in WNY for nearly 100 years, until they were reintroduced in our region in the 1990s. As a wetland, the Preserve also filters and recharges the ground-water thousands of local residents drink each day. I am thrilled to protect this important property, and I look forward to the day when we complete the rest of the Black Creek Protection Projects.”
The Land Conservancy still has a way to go to reach its fundraising goal and protect all five Black Creek properties (a total of 539 acres). Thanks to the generosity of many foundations and donors, nearly $1.4 million of the $1.9 million goal has already been raised. The Land Conservancy is fundraising to support the permanent protection and long-term stewardship of these properties.
In their natural state, wetlands like those found at the Black Creek Preserve serve as giant sponges that absorb and store excess rainwater, reducing the risk of flooding. Between May 2 and May 6 this year, the Black Creek watershed was drenched with over 3.5 inches of rain. While this would cause large-scale flooding in many developed areas, due to the incredible absorption abilities of the intact wetlands present at the Preserve, water levels returned to normal in just six days.
More about the Black Creek Protection Projects:
The Worden Wetlands is 180 acres in the heart of the Black Creek wetlands we are working to protect as a nature preserve. It has both woodlands and wetlands, each with its own unique ecosystem. The woodland is a young forest that provides habitat for animals like bobcats, deer, bears, and owls. In the wetland, turtles roam the shore, otters and beavers swim through the water, and birds like Swamp Sparrows and Marsh Wrens call out from the grasses where they nest.
The Shaw Conservation Easement* is 30 acres of vital floodplain where Black Creek winds through the land, naturally filtering rainwater and helping protect our region’s drinking water. It connects to both Keeney Swamp State Forest and our Worden Wetlands project, expanding a key WNY Wildway Core Area rich in wildlife. Along the creek, you’ll find giant tussock sedges, towering serviceberry trees, and rare stands of Balsam fir.
The Patrick Conservation Easement is a mature, 53-acre forest bordering Jersey Hill State Forest and will add to over 1,000 acres of protected land. A beaver dam along a Black Creek tributary creates a rich wetland filled with meadowsweet, tussock sedge, and a 10-acre stand of Eastern Hemlock. With streams, seeps, and underground water flow, this forest plays an essential role in protecting the headwaters of Black Creek and the Genesee River.
*A conservation easement is a legal agreement that a landowner makes with the Land Conservancy to protect their land forever. It limits development or mining, so the land stays natural or scenic. The land still belongs to the owner, but the protections stay in place even if the land is sold or passed on.
The Land Conservancy encourages donations to these projects via wnylc.org/donate (select “Land Acquisition Fund” in the dropdown menu) or via check made payable to “Western New York Land Conservancy” to P.O. Box 471, East Aurora, NY 14052. Please call or email if you have questions: (716) 687-1225 or info@wnylc.org.
The Western New York Land Conservancy is a regional, non-profit land trust that has protected more than 8,400 acres of land with significant conservation value in our region. We envision a future in which forests, farms, meadows, and waterways are connected, cherished, and protected in Western New York. We are accredited by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission. To learn more about our mission and vision, and to read our land acknowledgement, visit wnylc.org.
