About Everwild
The future of the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy
Mission
To lead, inspire, and nurture collective stewardship of the life, lands, and waters of the Chautauqua region, uniting action, science, education, and community in perpetuity.
Vision
A thriving Chautauqua region where nature and people flourish together in community, sustained by shared responsibility, resilient ecosystems, and a lasting sense of belonging for generations to come.
Purpose
The health of the region’s life, lands, and waters is a responsibility we all hold, and by acting together, we create a thriving, resilient environment today and for generations to come.
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Values
Responsibility
We act on our shared duty as stewards to the Chautauqua region. Stewardship isn’t the work of one, it’s a collective commitment to protect the life, lands, and waters for today and generations to come.
Connection
We strengthen the bonds between people, nature, and place. We foster meaningful connection—to each other, to the natural world, its beauty, and to the region we call home. We link ideas with action, science with community, and conservation with recreation, knowing that together we can achieve more than we ever could alone.
Integrity
We show up with honesty and courage. Our dedication to the Chautauqua region moves us to advocate for the the lands, waters, and biodiversity that sustain us—speaking out and taking bold action.
Respect
We recognize the intrinsic value of nature. We honor the areas we serve as the ancestral home of Indigenous Peoples and respect their enduring relationship with life, lands, and waters. We strive to make the spaces we steward accessible and welcoming for all.
Informed
We lead with evidence, acting with care and best practices. Grounded in science and guided by research and experience, we champion smart, effective solutions and informed action, always in service of natural ecosystems and people.
Balance
We believe in the power of balance—between people and planet, past and future, conservation and enjoyment. When nature and people thrive together, our community flourishes.
History
How we got here
Everwild Land Trust, or Everwild, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to a thriving Chautauqua region where nature and people flourish together in community, sustained by shared responsibility, resilient ecosystems, and a lasting sense of belonging for generations to come.
Founded in 1990, as the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy, by a group of citizens concerned about the declining water quality and ecological health of our local lakes and streams. They recognized the need for a proactive and watershed-wide approach to address these concerns and, as a result, formed our organization to focus on and promote habitat protection, sustainable land use, and community engagement, all of which remain our priorities today.
By 1995, we had established our first two nature preserves, the 100-acre Dobbins Woods Preserve and the 83-acre Elm Flats Wetland Preserve. Today, Everwild Land Trust has grown to oversee 35 nature preserves encompassing over 1,250 acres. All of these protected lands not only help to sustain biodiversity, wildlife habitat, and water quality, they also provide recreation opportunities for people to enjoy and connect with nature.
In our formative years, we began holding educational events and presentations about the benefits of land conservation and best land management practices. Everwild continues to be active in educational outreach, working with landowners, businesses, municipalities, schools, and the public at large. Every year, we offer a variety of presentations, workshops, nature walks, paddling events, cleanups, and more.
One of our most popular educational offerings is our Yard Smarts program. Through this program, our staff conservationist gives free one-on-one yard consultations to teach property owners how to best care for their yard in ways that not only make it beautiful but also help protect water quality and provide benefits for wildlife.
In more recent years, Everwild has expanded our efforts into restoration work. We’ve undertaken invasive species surveys and management, both on land and on water. We launched a river restoration project to clean up and secure banks along the lower part of the Chadakoin River, Cassadaga Creek, and Conewango Creek. These efforts make for safer recreation for paddlers and reduce flooding and erosion issues.
Whether it’s through protecting or restoring habitats, helping people to care for their properties in eco-friendly ways, or helping wildlife, our goal is to keep Chautauqua’s lands and waters healthy and thriving for generations to come.
