Nature preserves offer walk on wild side
One-Tank Trip / Western New York Day trips give kids a chance to hike, learn By Christine Smyczynski
At the visitors’ center in the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge in Seneca Falls, children can touch antlers, shells, feathers and furs.
The warmer weather is upon us and school is almost out. However, many kids would be content staying indoors playing video games and watching TV, instead of enjoying nature. Now is the perfect time to introduce them to something new; perhaps they can learn to talk a walk on the wild side and get back to nature.
Western New York has an abundance of wildlife preserves where your family can experience nature and learn about the animals that live in our environment. These areas have been set aside to preserve green space, to allow a habitat for birds and other wild creatures, and to provide a place where people can lean about nature. Many have naturalists on staff and have scheduled nature programs and hikes. Some even offer summer day camps for kids.
My family recently visited the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge in Seneca Falls, about 90 minutes from Buffalo. If you’ve driven on the Thruway between Rochester and Syracuse, you’ve driven through the refuge, as the highway bisects it.
The 7,000-acre refuge was established in 1938 to restore the area’s historic expanse of marshes, which had been greatly reduced with dam and canal construction in the 1800s. It provides a habitat to migratory birds and other wildlife. Ducks, Canada geese, snow geese, peregrine falcons, great blue heron, pelicans, loons, and even bald eagles are found here. Since the Cayuga Seneca Barge Canal, which runs along the eastern border of the refuge, doesn’t freeze in the winter, the eagles remain here year-round.
The visitors’ center has displays of local wildlife, including many stuffed specimens. Kids will enjoy the “touch table,” where they can handle items such as antlers, animal skins and turtle shells. A small gift shop has reasonably priced nature themed items.
We climbed the stairs to the observation deck on top of the visitors’ center. The kids especially liked looking through the telescope to get a better view of the area, although they didn’t like taking turns! For an even better view, take a short walk to the observation tower and the handicapped-accessible observation platform. We were there in the late morning, so we saw some wildlife, but not a lot. The best time to observe wildlife is in the early morning or late afternoon.
If you have the time, take the 3.5 mile one-way wildlife drive along the main pool of the nature preserve. Set your radio to 1610 AM for information about the refuge. You can get out of your car in designated places if you want a closer look. One stretch of the drive is a bit distracting as it runs right alongside the Thruway, with cars on the highway whizzing by at 70 mph in the opposite direction. There are also a couple of hiking trails within the refuge.
A great naturalist
Two nature centers are located in Jamestown, in Chautauqua County, about a 90-minute drive south of the Buffalo area. Roger Tory Peterson, considered one of the greatest naturalists of the 20th century, was born in Jamestown, so it’s fitting that two such outstanding facilities are located here. This year marks the 100th anniversary of his birth, so a number of special events are planned for this summer and fall.
The 27-acre Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History has nature trails, a butterfly garden, and more. Peterson used his skills in painting, photography and writing to bring nature to everyone.
The “Roger Tory Peterson Centennial Exhibit: Original Paintings by the Master Nature Artist,” running June 22 through Oct. 15, will feature about 50 original works by Peterson, including some never displayed before. A Centennial Kick-off Open House is scheduled for August and the institute has a Nature Writer Lecture Series planned for July through October that will feature five programs lead by distinguished children’s and nature authors.
Nearby, the Jamestown Audubon Nature Center, which was once a farm, has 600 acres of fields, woods, wetlands, several streams and ponds, including Big Pond, a sanctuary for migratory birds. There are 5 miles of walking/hiking trails, including a boardwalk by the swamplands. Deer, fox and other small mammals make their home here, as do more than 400 species of plants.
The three-story Roger Tory Peterson Nature Interpretive Building contains living and non-living exhibits, including more than 200 mounted birds-some now extinct. Hands-on exhibits for kids are located in the Discovery Room. You can view the sanctuary grounds from the center’s third-floor observation room.
More wildlife
The 324-acre Beaver Meadow Nature Center in North Java is home to a variety of plants and animals. It has 7 miles of marked walking/hiking trails as well as a boardwalk with handrails for the physically challenged. The visitors’ center houses exhibits and a discovery room for children. Family nature walks take place at 2 p. m. Sundays. The nature center also has an observatory with a 20-inch-diameter astronomical telescope, which is open to the public the first and third Saturday of the month, from April through December (call the observatory at 585-457-3104).
Gooseneck Hill Waterfowl Farm, in the town of Ashford in northern Cattaraugus County, is a not-for-profit bird sanctuary, which opened in 1983. It’s the second-largest waterfowl park in the world. It features close to 400 geese, ducks, and swans and 19 species of birds from all over the world.
Near Olean, the Pfeiffer Nature Center is celebrating its 10th season. It has six miles of nature trails and 20 acres of old-growth forest of Eastern Hemlock, White Pine, Red Oak and American Beech dating back 400 years. A 60-year-old log cabin on the grounds, constructed from American Chestnut, is listed on the State and National Historic Registers.
There are several natural areas located in northern Genesee County. The Bergen Swamp is one of the more unique locations. Privately owned and operated by the Bergen Swamp Preservation Society, the 1,900-acre swamp is a marl bog that supports many plants that can’t grow in acidic bogs. Rare plants and animals can be found in an unchanged habitat going back 125,000 years. It is home to the Massasauga (pygmy) rattlesnake, a rarity in Western New York.
The Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, known locally as the “Alabama Swamps” because it’s located in the town of Alabama, is the largest wildlife refuge in the state. The 11,000- acre refuge is a habitat for migratory waterfowl and other birds, including 10 species of ducks. There are four overlooks and three nature trails.
Oak Orchard Wildlife Management Area, near Oakfield, is a 2,500-acre wetland which has a high concentration of waterfowl in spring, as well as a large deer herd in winter. Four nature trails are located near the Oak Orchard education center on Knowlesville Road, along with an observation tower off Albion Road.
In the Rochester area, visit Braddock Bay State Fish and Wildlife Management Area, which has the only hawk-banding station in the United States that is open for regular visitation. The refuge, which borders Lake Ontario, is a popular spot to view thousands of hawks, owls, and other birds of prey that migrate to this area in the spring.
Mendon Ponds Park and Nature Center in Honeoye Falls just southeast of Rochester is the largest park in the Monroe County park system. It is a designated National Natural Landmark because of its glacial land forms, which include kames, eskers and kettles. The kettle, referred to as the “Devil’s Bathtub,” is a meromictic lake, a deep body of water surrounded by high ridges. The park’s 550-acre Mendon Nature Center features 7 miles of trails, wildlife and plant life.
Genesee Country Nature Center in Mumford has a variety of plants and wildlife which can be found in the fields and woodlands that border Genesee Country Village. This 175-acre nature center has 5 miles of hiking trails. Inside the interpretive building are exhibits that describe plants, animals and geological formations. It offers an Earth Camp for kids in grades 1-8 in the summer.
Cumming Nature Preserve in Naples is a 900-acre environmental center operated by the Rochester Museum and Science Center. It has 6 miles of themed walking trails and an observation platform for bird-watching. The visitors’ center has multimedia theater presentations and hands-on exhibits.
Closer to home, you can also explore Tifft Nature Preserve, a 264-acre refuge less than 3 miles from downtown Buffalo which is run by the Buffalo Museum of Science. On the northern tip of Grand Island, Buckhorn Island State Park, an 895-acre park preserve consists of marsh, meadows, and woods, including wetlands that are home to great blue herons and other waterfowl.
If you go
Jamestown Audubon Nature Center, 1600 Riverside Road, Jamestown; (716) 569-2345, www.jamestownaudubon.org . Grounds open daily dawn to dusk.
Roger Tory Peterson Nature Interpretive Building is open 10 a. m. to 4:30 p. m. Monday-Saturday; 1 to 4:30 p. m. Sunday. Fee, $5.
Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History, 311 Curtis St., Jamestown; (716) 665-2473, www.rtpi.org . Hours: 10 a. m. to 4 p. m. Tuesday through Saturday; 1 to 5 p. m. Sunday. Admission: $5 adults, $3 children, $12 family.
Beaver Meadow Nature Center, 1610 Welch Road, North Java; (585) 457-3228, www.buffaloaudubon.org . Nature center open 10 a. m. to 5 p. m. Tuesday through Saturday; 1 to 5 p. m. Sunday. Trails are always open. Suggested donation $3 individual, $5 family.
Gooseneck Hill Waterfowl Farm, 5067 Townline Road, Ashford; (585) 942-6835, www.gooseneckhillwaterfowlfarm.com . Open Sunday 2 to 5 p. m. July through August.
Pfeiffer Nature Center, 1974 Lillibridge Road, Portville; (716) 933-6063, www.pfeiffernaturecenter.org Open 9 a. m. to 6 p. m. Tuesday through Sunday.
Bergen Swamp, 6646 Hessenthaler Road, Byron; (585) 548-7304, www.bergenswamp.org . Trails open dawn to dusk; permission needed for groups of six or more. No picnicking or pets allowed.
Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, 1101 Casey Road, Basom; (585) 948-5445, http://iroquoisnwr. fws.gov. Visitors’ center open 7:30 a. m. to 4 p. m. Monday through Friday; also open weekends in spring and fall (call first). Trails open daily.
Oak Orchard Wildlife Management Area, Albion Road, 3.5 miles north of Oakfield; (716) 226-2466.
Braddock Bay State Fish and Wildlife Management Area, 432 Manitour Beach Road, Hilton.
Mendon Ponds Park and Nature Center, 3914 Clover St., Honeoye Falls; (585) 256-4950. Open 6 a. m. to 11 p. m. daily.
Genesee Country Nature Center, 1410 Flint Hill Road, Mumford; (585) 538-6822, www.gcv.org . Open year-round; closed Mondays. Hours vary; call first.
Cumming Nature Preserve, 6472 Gulick Road, Naples; (585) 374-6160, www.rmsc.org . Open 9 a. m. to 5 p. m. weekends.
Tifft Nature Preserve, 1200 Fuhrmann Blvd., Buffalo; 825-1289. Open 9 a. m. to 5 p. m. Tuesday through Sunday.
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