Accreditation We’ve earned national land trust accreditation ! In February 2024 , Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy became a nationally accredited land trust through the Land Trust Accreditation Commission (an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance ), demonstrating our strong commitment to national standards of excellence in both land conservation and organizational governance. Accreditation is a mark of distinction and only awarded to land trusts who have completed a very rigorous review process and successfully shown fiscal accountability, strong organizational leadership, sound transactions, and lasting stewardship of the lands they conserve. The accreditation seal identifies land trusts who are accredited and meet national standards for excellence, uphold the public trust, and ensure that conservation efforts are permanent. Excellence Accredited land trusts meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever. These land trusts demonstrate their commitment to excellence by adopting Land Trust Standards and Practices (the ethical and technical guidelines for the responsible operation of a land trust) and meeting the accreditation requirements drawn from them. Trust Nonprofit organizations, including land trusts, are increasingly called on to demonstrate their accountability to the public. Accredited land trusts have voluntarily submitted their organizations to an external, independent review of their practices. As a result, accreditation provides the public with the assurance that the land trust displaying the accreditation seal meets established standards for organizational quality and permanent land conservation. Permanence Land trusts help conserve land that is essential to our health and well-being. When land trusts agree to protect land for the benefit of the public, in most cases they do so by promising that the protection is forever. The accreditation program verifies that the land trust has the policies and programs in place to keep this promise, either by caring for the land itself or transferring the land to an entity that can. We are elated to have earned this distinction and proud to display the a ccreditation seal as part of our continuing commitment to protecting the lands and waters of the Chautauqua region!

Employment Thank you for your interest in working with us! At this time, we do not have any openings. Please check back at a later date, or sign up for our e-news (using the form below) and follow us on social media to hear of future opportunities.

Yard Smarts: Native Plants, Healthy Waters Yard Smarts: Native Plants, Healthy Waters (formerly called LakeScapes) is a one-on-one educational program that provides a FREE personal yard consultation to any homeowner, business owner, organization, school, or municipality within Chautauqua County. We give guidance on how to dry up wet areas in your yard, build filtering buffers, and/or create native habitats that provide food and places for our local bees, birds, and other wildlife to live. We also discuss landscaping and the importance of native plants, shrinking your lawn, and naturalizing your yard. Watershed-friendly living is easy! By making just a few small changes in the way you maintain your property, you can help filter and clean the water running through your yard and help keep our watersheds, waterways, and drinking water supplies safe and healthy. Our recommendations not only beautify your yard but also protect water quality, enhance your way of life, and help the wildlife that live and thrive within it! These free consultations and technical assistance also include native plant recommendations and landscape designs as well. Book Your Consultation Name Phone Number Email Brief explanation of assistance needed Submit Thanks for your request! We'll be in touch soon! For more information or to schedule a visit, contact our conservationist, Carol Markham, by calling 716.664.2166 x1005, emailing carol@chautauquawatershed.org , or using the form above.

After months of gray skies, frozen toes, and solitary walks past snow-covered gardens, spring arrives like a child rushing out for summer break. The sun lingers longer, birds burst into song, and suddenly you…the long-winter-cabin-fevered homeowner…feel an irresistible urge to grab gloves, wield a rake, and declare war on every last stem, leaf, and twig. Finally, you think…I can actually go outside and do something! But here’s the reality in March: your garden is still hitting the snooze button. Science calls it phenology or the study of cyclic and seasonal timing. The behavior of plants and animals is triggered by small climate signals, not by calendar dates. Plants, soil organisms, and insects rely on cumulative warmth, daylight length, and soil conditions to determine when it’s truly spring. One sunny day is not a spring announcement: it’s a tease. Rush outside too early, and you risk frost damage on tender shoots, disturbance of hibernating insects, and disruption of soil organisms who are just starting their nutrient-recycling work. Even your landscape plants are cautious. Many perennials and shrubs have biochemical mechanisms that prevent them from sprouting during brief warm spells, waiting instead for sustained warmth before resuming growth. Cutting back or clearing them too early can force growth at a time when the weather in Western New York is still unpredictable, increasing the risk of frost damage and stunted development. Beneath the soil surface, an essential ecosystem is quietly coming back to life. Fungi extend their networks through the leaf litter, bacteria decompose organic material into nutrients, and earthworms move through the soil, improving structure and fertility. Overwintering insects tucked under winter’s leaves, including solitary bees, butterflies in chrysalis, and beetles, rely on last year’s debris for shelter. Removing it prematurely can disrupt these processes and eliminate critical habitat that your garden depends on for long-term health and success. Our human urge to want to get our hands dirty is completely understandable. After a long, cold, lonely winter, our muscles, minds, and spirits crave the outdoors. Raking, pruning, and planting are tactile ways to reconnect and shake off cabin fever. But nature does not respond well to our impatience. It operates on a schedule perfected over thousands of years, and the garden will only thrive if we respect that timing. So, what’s a spring-starved gardener to do? Stand back. Observe. Sip coffee. Watch how the early sunlight warms the soil, notice which insects begin to emerge, and see which plants are truly waking from dormancy. Wait until daytime temperatures hover around 50°F, soil is warming, and both plants and pollinators are ready to resume their seasonal activities. Then, and only then, can your hands-on energy be both satisfying and scientifically sound. Spring may take its sweet time here in western NY, but when it finally shows up fully awake, your garden, and your own sense of accomplishment, will be richer for it. Ask: How do you resist the urge to tidy your garden too soon? Please share photos of your patient, “sleeping” gardens, and tag us on social media. Let’s celebrate the slow, deliberate awakening of spring together, showing that sometimes the best gardening step is simply to wait. Article and photos by CWC Conservationist Carol Markham

Pileated Wood Pecker ( Dryocopus pileatus) adult and two juvenilles in a nesting cavity . By Jan Bowman. A dead tree is often considered a danger of sorts depending on where it stands from a human perspective, but dead trees provide a lot more than just potential nutrients once fallen to the ground. As they stand, they may hold more life than meets the eye. Some animals hollow out dead and dying trees to provide homes for themselves (primary cavity nesters), and many other animals will use these cavities once vacated by the creator as their home (secondary cavity nesters). In Chautauqua County, the primary cavity nesters are woodpeckers. Following the large die-off of Ash trees due to the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) beetle, local woodpecker populations are doing very well. This is particularly true of Downy, Hairy, and Red-bellied woodpeckers, as well as Northern flicker and Yellow-bellied sapsucker. Pileated woodpecker numbers have also increased compared to baseline population numbers suggesting they have also benefited from the EAB infestation. Anyone who has watched a pileated woodpecker working on a tree knows they can make progress quickly as they search for food and create a cavity for nesting. This may look very destructive, but the woodpecker would not be feeding on that tree if it didn’t have food (insects) present already working on the decline of that tree.   Once primary cavity nesters have moved on and left an empty “apartment,” secondary cavity nesters move in. Many animals rely on these empty cavities, and when in short supply it can quickly impact a population, as it has with local bluebird populations who were being pushed out of possible nesting sites by invasive birds such as starlings and sparrows. Bluebird boxes, manmade “cavities,” have served as a successful conservation solution to this ecological problem. Local secondary cavity nesters include Eastern Bluebird, Tree Swallow, Black-capped Chickadee, House Wren, White-breasted Nuthatch, Tufted Titmouse, Great-crested Flycatcher, Prothonotary Warbler, Brown Creeper, Wood Duck, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser, American Kestrel, Eastern Screech Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl, Barred Owl, raccoons, squirrels, opossums, and porcupines. These cavities may even be used by snakes, and on rare occasions tree-roosting bats as well! This is not a complete list of those in nature that may use these cavities, but it certainly illustrates how important it is to leave dead trees standing until nature decides its time to come down.  Of course, if a tree is a danger to life or property, decisions may have to be made to bring a dead tree down. In that case, timing is everything! Let’s keep in mind who may be living in that tree when deciding when and how to remove it. Working with nature is in the best of interest of everyone. Article and photo by Board Chair Jan Bowman

(Spotted Lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula ) Cities are often noticeably warmer than the countryside that surrounds them. This phenomenon, known as the “urban heat island” (and sometimes called an “urban heat bubble”) can raise temperatures by several degrees compared to nearby rural areas—especially at night. In major metropolitan areas such as New York City or Chicago, the difference is well documented, but the same effect also occurs in much smaller developed areas.   The cause is straightforward. Materials like asphalt, concrete, and metal absorb and store heat during the day, then slowly release it after sunset as air temperatures fall. At the same time, trees, wetlands, and other natural features that normally cool the air through shade and evaporation are often scarce in densely developed landscapes. With less vegetation to moderate temperatures, a dome of retained warmth forms over the built environment. This persistent heat alters how plants and animals live, move, reproduce, and survive.   Urban heat bubbles do not affect all species equally. In many cases, they create conditions that favor invasive species—organisms that spread beyond their native range and cause ecological or economic harm. Invasive species are often highly adaptable. They tend to grow quickly, reproduce rapidly, and tolerate a broad range of environmental conditions. Warmer urban microclimates can allow them to survive winter temperatures that would normally limit their expansion.   A striking example is the spotted lanternfly, an invasive insect native to parts of Asia. This species feeds on a wide variety of plants, including grapes, fruit trees, and hardwoods, posing a serious threat to agriculture and forestry. Urban heat islands may help spotted lanternflies survive colder northern winters by reducing the number and severity of freezing days that would otherwise kill their egg masses. Warmer conditions can also accelerate their development, allowing populations to grow more quickly. Cities—rich in ornamental trees and often lacking natural predators—can function as stepping stones, supporting population growth and facilitating further spread into surrounding regions.   Recent research has revealed that the spotted lanternflies now spreading across the United States likely originated from a single accidental introduction around 2014. Scientists believe the insects arrived in Berks County, Pennsylvania, in a shipment of stone from South Korea, transported through urban Shanghai, which lies within their native range. Genetic analysis suggests that this founding population was already well adapted to urban environments. In their newly adopted range, they appear to thrive particularly well in cities.   Large populations have been documented in Philadelphia, New York City, Boston, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland in recent years. Interestingly, they are often less abundant in the rural areas between these cities—even in agricultural and grape-growing regions that could be especially vulnerable. This pattern raises important questions. Could their relatively low genetic diversity, combined with strong adaptation to urban “heat bubbles,” be keeping them concentrated in cities? Scientists do not yet have definitive answers. Ongoing research will determine whether this urban association persists or whether populations will eventually expand more aggressively into rural landscapes.   What is clear, however, is that concentrated development has ecological consequences beyond human comfort. Urban heat islands reshape ecosystems. They influence which species gain a foothold, which decline, and how native and invasive organisms compete. Protecting and expanding urban forests, restoring wetlands, increasing tree canopy cover, and rewilding undeveloped sections of cities and transportation corridors can help moderate temperatures. These actions not only cool our communities in a warming climate, but also reduce the ecological imbalances that heat bubbles can create.   As cities continue to grow and global temperatures rise, understanding—and managing—the ecological effects of urban heat islands will be essential for safeguarding biodiversity. Article and photo by Director of Conservation Twan Leenders