Janet Gallogly Allegany Wildlands
The Western New York Land Conservancy has announced that it has opened its newest preserve, a 185-acre forest in Cattaraugus County: the Janet Gallogly Allegany Wildlands.
Named after the co-founder of the Gallogly Family Foundation, the preserve is located near Allegany State Park, and it is home to a rich diversity of plants and animals. It also includes 2.1 miles of publicly accessible hiking trails.
In 2022, the Land Conservancy community and the Friends of the Allegany Wildlands successfully raised funds to purchase and steward the land, which had been in the same family since the early 1800s. The Sluga family chose to sell the property to the Land Conservancy to ensure that it would be permanently protected and available for the public to enjoy.
Land Conservancy Executive Director Marisa Riggi said, “One of the best aspects of our land protection efforts is that we get to work with landowners, like the Slugas, who voluntarily choose to conserve their land for the betterment of every living thing in our region. Thanks to their love of nature, the Janet Gallogly Allegany Wildlands is now part of a broader network of forests that includes thousands of acres of protected state land. The protection of this property is a huge step forward for the Western New York Wildway.”
The Gallogly Family Foundation, which gave the largest private donation during the campaign to save the Allegany Wildlands, views the interconnectivity of the Western New York Wildway as a game changer.
The Janet Gallogly Allegany Wildlands is located on W. Perimeter Road in the town of South Valley. Visit WNYLC.ORG/alleganywildlands for directions to the preserve.
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