Land Donation Will Benefit Genesee Valley Greenway State Park

Thanks to a recent donation of 4.4 acres in Allegany County, the Conservancy has embarked on its first cooperative conservation project.

Joan Schumaker, a longtime advocate for the Genesee Valley Greenway, donated land in Caneadea to the Conservancy for its eventual transfer to New York State Parks Recreation & Historic Preservation.

This parcel secures ownership of a gap in the Greenway trail and provides a buffer to a new 17-mile long former railway cooridor the State acquired over the summer.

The State’s recent acquisition secured the remainder of the ownership gap in the Greenway and provides the opportunity for Genesee River access and added loop trails extending from the Greenway. Their acquisition is dotted with a dozen large cement trestles which make access to the Genesee River a challenge on that parcel alone.

The Schumaker acquisition provides added ground to allow for access to the river around the large cement trestles and therefore is of great importance.

Via cooperative conservation, the Conservancy acts as a middle-person between a private landowner and the State. We can be more nimble in working with a private landowner and can better work through State process of acquiring land — another method we can use to further land protection locally.