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George Klemens and Mary Carol Dearing are located on just over 100 acres of land in the Town of Concord, just north of Springville. George purchased the property 22+ years ago. An early goal of repairing existing wetlands led him to the NRCS (National Resources Conservation Services) and at purchase a 30 year conservation easement on 50 acres of wetland and riparian areas was created.  

George has spent more than two decades engaging in a variety of habitat restoration projects. The result is nothing short of remarkable - a former farm (used mostly for grazing cattle) is now an incredibly rich and diverse ecosystem. The property includes woods, wetlands and meadows. It is not an exaggeration to say that thousands of trees have been planted on the property, the majority of them oaks.  The restoration work is ongoing and ever adapting. George and Mary Carol now live in the home they built on the property.

George and Mary Carol are interested in serving as a model for private landowners on the benefits of habitat restoration and responsible land stewardship.  Connecting with local resources such as WNY Prism, the DEC, and NYFOA has been valuable. The property is identified as a "Linkage area" for the Western New York Wildway. The fisher, beaver, otter, fox, mink, coyote and bear  - whether living there or traveling through - are evidence of the accuracy of the designation.