GRAND ISLAND, N.Y. — On Tuesday, Western New York Land Conservancy announced they purchased a forest in Grand Island and will establish a preserve.
A 10.5-acre forest off Staley Road will be established at the Funk Preserve, named after the landowners who sold the property to the conservancy.
The property will not be open to the public because there is no trail system. There is a possibility of connecting the forest to a train system in an adjacent 39-acre town-owned forest in the future.
“Although it’s a relatively small forest, the Funk Preserve supports a wealth of plants and animals in its wooded wetlands and vernal pools, including the adorable Blue-spotted salamander,” said Nancy Smith, Executive Director of the Land Conservancy. “We are beyond thrilled to add this incredible place to an ever-growing list of conserved properties on Grand Island.”
The land was purchased as a part of the Greenway/Grand Island Protection Program the Land Conservancy started in 2018. The program and the purchase of the land was supported by the Niagara River Greenway Commission and the Town of Grand Island, and was funded by the Greenway Ecological Standing Committee (GESC).
“The purpose of our funding program is to identify lands on Grand Island that have important wildlife habitat, including forests, grasslands, wetlands, and streams, and to identify landowners who want to voluntarily protect their own land. The Land Conservancy has been enthusiastic partners from the start, and the Funk property is an excellent example of the projects we aim to support,” Tim DePriest, Chair of GESC, said.
The former landowners, Valerie and Robert Funk, are excited about the creation of the preserve.
“We were born and raised on Grand Island,” Valerie said, “and Robert and I have so many fond memories of wandering around this forest with family and friends. Our greatest hope is that, in the future, it will always be here for people and wildlife to enjoy.”
Western New York Land Conservancy is a regional non-profit land trust that has 7,000 acres of land it is protecting.
