For Release: Friday, February 1, 2008

DEC and The Nature Conservancy Announce Hi Tor Wildlife Management Area Expansion

New Acquisition Helps Protect Waters of Canandaigua Lake

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and The Nature Conservancy today announced the purchase of a 55-acre property that protects the watershed of Canandaigua Lake and the West River. The Nature Conservancy purchased the property last month and is in the process of transferring it to New York State for addition to Hi Tor Wildlife Management Area.

In addition to protecting the property, the Conservancy's new purchase will enhance the variety of public recreational uses provided at Hi Tor, including hiking, canoeing, kayaking, snowshoeing, hunting, fishing, and cross-country skiing.

Located in the Town of Middlesex in Yates County, the property is a mixture of forests, wetlands, and hay fields, as well as nearly 30 acres of important riparian floodplain habitat. It includes nearly a half-mile of frontage on the West River, a popular fishing and boating waterway that flows into the south end of Canandaigua Lake.

DEC Region 8 Director Paul D'Amato said: "We are very appreciative of The Nature Conservancy's efforts to acquire this parcel, which will be a welcome addition to the Hi Tor

Wildlife Management Area. It is yet another example of the benefits to the public and the environment that will be achieved when DEC can work together with groups such as The Nature Conservancy."

Jim Howe, Executive Director of the Central and Western New York Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, said: "The Nature Conservancy is pleased to team up with New York State to protect this important property. Protecting the forests and waters of the western Finger Lakes is a top conservation priority."

The Nature Conservancy purchased the property for $70,000 from Glen and Marilyn Peters of Fairport. "We were happy to sell to The Nature Conservancy, knowing that the land will be added to the State's holdings at Hi Tor," said Mr. and Mrs. Peters. "We're also pleased that the public will have more access to our property's recreational opportunities."

The Nature Conservancy has now protected more than 4,000 acres in the western Finger Lakes, and nearly 100,000 acres throughout Central and Western New York.

Hi Tor Wildlife Management Area lies in the heart of the Western Finger Lakes region of New York -- a 300,000-acre mosaic of forests, wetlands, farms and lakes that includes Hemlock Lake, Canadice Lake, Honeoye Lake, and Canandaigua Lake. Like all of the Finger Lakes, these lakes provide important habitat for fish and wildlife, including migratory waterfowl, breeding bald eagles, woodland salamanders, and freshwater organisms.

Because of its rugged terrain, the Western Finger Lakes region boasts the largest intact forest in the entire Finger Lakes region. This forested landscape is unique in that it contains rare occurrences of the Appalachian oak-hickory and Silver maple-ash forest communities. The Western Finger Lakes also provide important recreational benefits to New Yorkers, including hiking, biking, skiing, hunting, fishing, canoeing, and bird watching.