Ep. 81 - Keepin' Wetlands Wet: The Western NY Land Conservancy's Mission to Save Bear Lake

About this episode

The episode discusses the conservation efforts to protect Bear Lake and its critical wetland habitats with WNYLC Stewardship Director Josh Balisteri.

Every now and then, a conservation opportunity comes along that you can't pass up. The Western NY Land Conservancy (WNYLC) is currently in a race to permanently protect the Bear Lake Preserve, 311 acres of undeveloped shoreline, mature forest, and an array of critical wetland habitats linked to the Lake. To break down what makes this property so special, the guys hit the trail with WNYLC Stewardship Director Josh Balisteri. He gives them a tour of the property, discussing the history and ecology of Bear Lake, the historical and global crisis of wetland loss, and why we need to start viewing the Great Lakes ecosystem through the lens of crucial "inland coasts." Head over to wnylc.org/bearlake to check out maps of the new preserve and support their work!

People in this episode

Guest: Josh Balisteri

Topics covered

• wetland conservation
• Great Lakes ecosystem
• environmental protection
• Bear Lake
• ecology
• land preservation

Keywords

• wetlands
• conservation
• Bear Lake Preserve
• ecology
• Western NY Land Conservancy
• environmental crisis
• inland coasts

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Western NY Land Conservancy

Places: Bear Lake, Great Lakes, Western NY

More episodes of The Field Guides

• Ep. 80 - The Deer Are NOT Alright: Chronic Wasting Disease · April 30, 2026
• Ep. 79 - The Brown Tree Snake on Guam: Using Genetics to Unlock the Secrets of an Invasive Species · April 1, 2026 · 1h 13m
• Ep. 78 - 3 Guys and A Gator (featuring Chip Campbell) · January 31, 2026 · 1h 16m
• Ep. 77 - Mite-y Cool: The Amazing, Unseen World of Feather Mites · November 1, 2025
• Ep. 76 - The Insect Apocalypse! (Part 2) · October 15, 2025 · 1h 1m
• Ep. 76 - The Insect Apocalypse! (Part 1) · September 30, 2025 · 57 min