Cimeley Woods
Wildlife Preserve
Cimeley Woods Preserve
Donated by Cheryl Gibisch Robert Johnson
The12.5- acre parcel of woodland near Lake Como, was donated to the Geneva Lake Conservancy in 2021 by Cheryl Gibisch and her brother Robert Johnson, whose family owned the property for almost 80 years and had left it almost entirely untouched. It is named Cimeley Woods Preserve after their grandparents Walter and Myrtle Cimeley.
Cimeley Woods
The preserve is a mixed hardwood forest, home to forest interior birds, deer, wild turkeys, and other mammals.
“The protected forest will provide habitat for a variety of wildlife and filter carbon from the atmosphere to slow climate change,” said Karen Yancey, past GLC Executive Director. “We are deeply grateful to the donors because if this property had been sold for development it would have created substantial soil erosion that would have been detrimental to Lake Como as well as degraded an important wildlife habitat.”
The lack of disturbance to the soil means that Cimeley Woods Preserve is an especially important woodland. Very few invasive species are visible in the forest, allowing the mature oaks and silver maples to grow without competition. When a native tree thrives in this way, it enhances the biodiversity and environmental quality of an area.
The property, a wildlife preserve, remains closed to hikers, with public access only by guided tour. To learn more about opportunities to tour the preserve contact The Geneva Lake Conservancy.