CWC has been awarded a $40,000 state grant for improvements at our Cassadaga Lakes Nature Park! The park, located on the old Route 60 just outside of Cassadaga, encompasses 77 acres of beautiful woods and wetlands at the head of the Cassadaga Lakes, including 26 acres of shoreland wetlands and 1,100 feet of natural shoreline.
The grant will allow us to make trail improvements, enhancing and connecting trails in the park with a parking area, as well as to install an entryway welcome kiosk and pavilion that will offer visitors shelter and information about the park. On the shoreline of Mud Lake, a wildlife observation blind will be constructed featuring an elevated platform and ramp for access. Gaps will be included in the blind’s walls facing the lake which will allow visitors to use binoculars to observe birds and other wildlife in and on Mud Lake.
The grant is funded from the New York State Conservation Partnership Program and New York’s Environmental Protection Fund. The NYSCPP is administered by the Land Trust Alliance, in coordination with the State Department of Environmental Conservation. There has been very strong community support for this project, with fifty families, individuals, businesses, foundations and organizations contributing $79,000 to this project to date. We thank State Senator George Borrello, Assemblyman Andy Goodell and Governor Cuomo for their support of this project and the New York State Conservation Partnership Program during this challenging time.
The use of parks and preserves has skyrocketed in 2020 as people choose to socialize safely outdoors and find peace in the beauty of nature. The CWC has registered over 1,300 persons using its preserves over the last nine months, and we anticipate that this site will become one of area’s most popular walking destinations. The completion of these improvements and the park opening are scheduled for summer 2021.
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