Protecting natural splendor along the Niagara River
Butterflies and birds. Native plants. A vivid blue, peaceful shoreline along the Niagara River. Historic trails, kayaks, and canoes. A peace memorial honoring President John F. Kennedy. That's what you'll find – and so much more – when you visit the 29-acre Stella Niagara Preserve in Lewiston, NY just north of Niagara Falls. Not just beautiful, the area is also globally significant, designated as an "Important Bird Area," a status it shares with other great places like the Everglades and Yellowstone. When you visit, you might just spot a bald eagle. And if you look down, you might see all kinds of fish including lake sturgeon, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, and rock bass.
The Preserve also has historical significance. For hundreds and hundreds of years, it was an important landing spot for the region's Native American Nations as they used the river for fishing, trade, and transport. It's also the location the British landed in 1813 before they burned Lewiston and attacked Fort Niagara. Starting in 1907, it was the home of the Sisters of St. Francis. In 2015, they decided to protect the area forever by selling the land to the Western New York Land Conservancy. The Land Conservancy created the Stella Niagara Preserve, which was made possible by funding from the Environmental Protection Fund (along with other public funding and private donations).
But the creation of the preserve was just the beginning. The Land Conservancy soon got to work to enhance this important place. The Land Conservancy hired nationally renowned landscape design team, Darrel Morrison and Nancy Aten, to transform the Preserve. After months of planning and engaging the local community, the Land Conservancy created new walking paths and removed invasive species along with trees killed by the emerald ash borer, a highly destructive invasive beetle. This work helps to restore natural habitats and increase the plant and animal diversity at the preserve. They also planted new trees – gray birches, white pines, red cedars – and added almost 100 native plants to the area.
Go and see the splendor! The Preserve is open to the public from dawn to dusk every day. Visit the Land Conservancy’s website for more information including directions.
Creating the Stella Niagara Preserve is just one of the many ways the Environmental Protection Fund protects and enhances New York's natural beauty, historical places, and ecological diversity. Thank you, New York State leaders for protecting and enhancing the health and environment of New York for generations to come!
To learn more about the Western New York Land Conservancy and their critical work permanently protecting important lands in Western New York, visit http://wnylc.org.