The Western New York Land Conservancy won The Robert T. Coles Award for Neighborhood Conservation from Preservation Buffalo Niagara in 2021. Preservation is about more than protecting individual buildings, it is also about protecting the special character of the places we love that are important to their communities. By providing permanent protection to land with significant conservation value, the Land Conservancy of Western New York provides a critical function in our preservation field. Their work ensures a future in which natural areas, working farmlands, wildlife habitats, and scenic beauty are cherished and protected as part of the landscape and character.

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The Riverline received a 2022 Design Honor Award from The American Society of Landscape Architects, New York (ASLA-NY). The design team included W Architecture & Landscape Architecture, Hood Design Studio, and Green Shield Ecology. The jury called this “a remarkable project that considers the multiple layers of community gatherings, habitats, indigenous and industrial heritage, connectivity (beyond the site), and accessibility.” 

 

The Community Vision Plan for the Stella Niagara Preserve, created by the Land Conservancy, Make Community, Darrel Morrison, and Landscapes of Place won awards from the WNY American Planning Association (APA) Section and Upstate NY APA Chapter for community engagement. With its 29 acres and over a quarter-mile of shoreline, the Stella Niagara Preserve is the largest privately-owned, undeveloped tract of land along the entire length of the Niagara River and is one of our region’s most ecologically and historically important places. The preserve is open to the public with walking trails and a kayak launch on the river. 

The Clarence Greenprint program received the ‘Planning Excellence Award for Implementation’ from the NY Upstate Chapter of the American Planning Association in 2014. The Land Conservancy helped the Town of Clarence identify and protect important forests and farms through the Greenprint program, which was funded through a $12.5 million bond voted for by Clarence residents.

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Land along Mill Road in East Aurora was often the target of land developers who wanted to capitalize on the views near a valley. The Land Conservacy and the Closs family, who has owned land near the valley since 1828, formed the Friends of Mill Road, along with the Sievenpiper family. In 2014, the Land Conservancy received a Preservation Buffalo Niagara Award, along with the Friends of Mill Road and Town of East Aurora for Mill Road Scenic Overlook.  

 

In 2019, after years of hard work by partner organizations and dedicated individuals, the American side of the Niagara River Corridor earned a prestigious designation as a Ramsar site. The designation includes the river itself, lake to lake, as well as the protected greenspaces along its sides. We were heavily involved in this process from the beginning. We were thrilled to work alongside the many organizations and individuals who made this happen. Learn more about what this designation means.