On May 17, 2025, the Finger Lakes Land Trust’s Wesley Hill Nature Preserve was formally inducted into the national Old-Growth Forest Network.
Established in 1999, the Wesley Hill Nature Preserve comprises 428 acres including the immense Briggs Gully and several other gullies that wind through the preserve. Visitors to the preserve can enjoy over five miles of trails that weave through various habitats and provide excellent examples of the area’s geologic history and ecological systems.
Photo: Noel Bastien
Diverse stands of mature forest (including about 10 acres of old-growth), a wide array of wildflowers, and sweeping views of the hills surrounding Honeoye Lake’s southern end make this site truly special.
“This preserve has many notable features that make it one of the FLLT’s crown jewels,” said Mike DeMunn/Da hā da’ Nyah:—forester, member of the Hawk Clan of the Seneca Nation of Indians, and longtime friend of the Finger Lakes Land Trust. “The preserve contains one of the largest ravines in Central New York and a pristine old-growth forest stand with magnificent oak, hemlock, and—most noteworthy and rarest of all old growth—giant white pine that are big enough to hold a one-ton eagle nest! To behold this untouched old-growth forest stand is to journey back to another time, long before the axe and saw took its toll on the original forest.”
The mission of the Old-Growth Forest Network (OGFN) is to connect people with nature by creating a national network of protected, mature, publicly accessible, native forests. The organization’s goal is to preserve at least one forest in every county in the United States that can sustain a forest, which is estimated to be 2,370 out of a total of 3,140 counties. OGFN’s program works to identify forests for the Network, ensure their protection from logging, and connect people to these properties to experience old-growth forests. OGFN also educates about the extraordinary ecological and human wellness benefits of old-growth forests, and speaks out regarding immediate threats to specific ancient forests.
Founded in 2012 by Dr. Joan Maloof, OGFN has over 275 forests in 39 states. Wesley Hill Nature Preserve will be the 22nd New York forest to join the Old-Growth Forest Network, joining Bahar Nature Preserve and Carpenter Falls Unique Area in Cayuga County, Washington Grove in Monroe County, Zoar Valley Unique Area in Cattaraugus County, Thain Family Forest – New York Botanical Garden in Bronx County, Rockefeller State Park Preserve in Westchester County, Old Growth Trail – Green Lakes State Park in Onondaga County, Ampersand Mountain in Franklin County and more. The full list of forests in the Network may be viewed at www.oldgrowthforest.net.
The Old-Growth Forest Network’s Northeast Regional Manager, Sarah RobbGrieco, notes, “We are thrilled to welcome Wesley Hill Nature Preserve into the Network as the forest representative for Ontario County. With this designation, it becomes part of this national reserve of exceptional, public forests protected in perpetuity. We want to recognize and celebrate the Finger Lakes Land Trust, as well as all of Wesley Hill Nature Preserve’s previous stewards and advocates, for their work in preserving this remarkable forest for generations to come.”
RobbGrieco adds, “The Old-Growth Forest Network depends on volunteers in each U.S. county to help identify and induct forests into the Network. Interested volunteers are welcome to contact OGFN through www.oldgrowthforest.net.”
