WHAT THE ZOAR VALLEY COALITION HAS ACCOMPLISHED SO FAR…..
We made the discovery in early 2024 of Zoar Valley’s forests marked with paint for logging and we sprang into action.
We alerted the media and the public and formed this Coalition of conservationists, scientists, naturalists, citizens, and conservation groups to wage the campaign to Save Zoar Valley.
We started a Save Zoar Valley Petition campaign that now has over 4,000 signatures. Thank you all!
We submitted Freedom of Information requests and obtained documents needed to uncover the full extent of what NYS DEC and CT/NY Audubon planned to do to Zoar Valley.
We’ve researched the many ecological, carbon sequestration, and climate issues at play, and the publicly subsidized logging for bird habitat the Audubon Society and Young Forest Project carry out.
We undertook an immediate ecological assessment of the first forest the DEC planned for the chopping block, work that is ongoing.
We set up a website, social media presence, and lawn sign campaign to get the word out and gather public support.
We held two successful Save Zoar Valley protests – one at Wickham Woods in Zoar and one in front of the DEC’s Buffalo office.
We put together a public education program and presented it across Western New York.
We’ve led hikes in Zoar to educate the public about the logging threat and the ecology of Zoar Valley.
We’ve been interviewed by and continue to reach out to local media to increase public awareness.
The public awareness has resulted in Editorials and Letters to the Editor running 25-to-1 in favor of NOT logging Zoar.
We gathered and inspired a wave of letters to Governor Hochul and DEC to Save Zoar Valley from logging.
We’ve written to Governor Hochul and DEC leadership to advocate for Zoar’s protection.
Coalition leadership met with the DEC and we made a strong case covering the public and scientific reasons Zoar Valley should not be logged.
We’ve advocated for the DEC to rewrite the 2021 Draft Unit Management Plan for Zoar to bring it in line with what the public overwhelmingly wants for the future of Zoar Valley, and the DEC has currently gone back to the drawing board to revise the Plan.
We’ve put the DEC on notice that we demand a full Public Hearing process and public comment period under SEQRA on the future of Zoar Valley and the Draft Unit Management Plan.
We’re continuing to advocate for NYS to move its forest management policies and practices away from clearing forests for specific bird habitat while ignoring all the other species, carbon sequestration, and climate change, to name just a few reasons.
We’ve met with Legislators across Western New York to urge them to advocate in Albany on behalf of what the People want for the future of Zoar Valley.
We started a BioBlitz in Zoar to expand the available biodiversity data, and we put on an iNaturalist webinar to train citizen scientists how to BioBlitz.
We partnered with the Springville Center for the Arts for The Art of Zoar Valley III exhibit and Summer-long series of hikes and events celebrating Zoar Valley.
We submitted a proposal to the DEC for a tree planting ceremony in Zoar to formally honor the Darling family for their decades of land gifts and conservation efforts in Zoar Valley, and it was approved by the DEC and is happening August 16, 2025 – watch this space!
And we just launched this Newsletter – this is the inaugural issue! – to provide the public with the latest information.
Our advocacy – along with all of you – put enough public pressure and scientific push-back on the DEC and Audubon Society that logging in Zoar has been held off for two years – 2024 and 2025!
…..AND WE’RE STILL GOING STRONG TOGETHER!
WHAT IS THE DEC DOING?
The Zoar Valley Coalition – a dozen of our leadership members – had a meeting with Region 9 NYS DEC on January 28, 2025, where we made a strong and well-supported case against logging Zoar Valley. Coincidentally or not, the next day the CT/NY Audubon Society pulled out of the logging and slash wall plan for Zoar. The DEC, however, said they were going forward with those plans.
In late May, the DEC provided a status update about Zoar to us. The DEC let us know the 2021 Draft Unit Management Plan for the Zoar Valley Unique Area/Multiple Use Area is currently under internal review and revision. The DEC expects to put out a revised Plan this Fall, though we do not know if this will be a revised Draft Plan or a revised Plan put out in final form, which is an important distinction.
The DEC said the Plan revisions would consider the public input received over the past year. Fortunately, citizens and conservation groups overwhelmingly objected to the logging. We don’t have any information about what kinds of changes are being made, but rest assured the Zoar Valley Coalition will continue our advocacy on behalf of the protection and preservation of Zoar’s forests and we hope to have your continued support and involvement every step of the way.
After the revised Plan comes out, the DEC said they will hold a public meeting to present their revised Plan to the community, possibly as early as October or November 2025. Unfortunately, the DEC said this will not be a Public Hearing. We believe Zoar meets each of the criteria spelled out in the SEQRA laws for a full Public Hearing, where the public gets to speak and verbal and written comments become part of the official record and must be given consideration. We intend to continue advocating for a Public Hearing, so watch this space for more on that. Let’s all put the “public” back in “public land.”
The DEC stated no actions would be taken in Zoar this year that they believe would raise opposition. When we left the meeting in January the DEC said there was a possibility a timber bid sale notice would go out on Zoar this Summer, but that is apparently off the table now. Thank you all for helping us hold off any logging for a second year in a row!
Oh, and the DEC gave us the good news that they approved the Zoar Valley Coalition’s written proposal for a tree planting ceremony in Zoar to honor the Darling Family for their legacy of land gifts in Zoar over six decades and all their conservation work on top of that. That tree planting ceremony is happening August 16, 2025. Watch this space for details!
