Places We Protect

Arthur W. Butler Memorial Sanctuary

New York

A man sits looking out between trees at a lake while a small rowboat rests upside down nearby.
Butler Preserve Taking it all in at our Butler Preserve © Charles Gleberman Photography
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Rugged outcrops and boulder-strewn hills are teeming with life.

Viewing

Overview

Description

Trail closure: Please note that effective April 27, 2020, the preserve's Orange Trail is temporarily closed due to mud season. Please find alternative trails to enjoy via the trail map below.

This land’s rugged outcrops and boulder-strewn hills provide a solid foundation for deciduous forests, flowing streams, and swamps teeming with flora and fauna.

Before you visit, please read our Hunting Guidelines and download a Butler Preserve trail map.

Why We Selected This Site

In 1954, Mrs. Butler donated 225 acres of land to The Nature Conservancy in honor of her husband, making it the organization’s first donated preserve and the first wildlife refuge in the town of Bedford. Since then, it has grown through additional donations and purchases to its present size.

What We Do Here

Each fall, visitors flock to the preserve to observe migrating birds of prey. The Nature Conservancy posts interpretive materials that explain the phenomenon of mass migration and help to identify the many raptor species passing overhead.

Access

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Size

363 acres

Explore our work in this region

PLEASE NOTE: Arthur W. Butler Memorial Sanctuary is open during hunting season (Oct 1 - Dec 22) to bow hunting only. Written permission is required to hunt on Conservancy lands. To learn about our hunting program or to obtain permission to hunt, please visit our New York hunting information page.  

There are six forest communities on the preserve: oak-dominant mixed hardwood, oak-hickory, mixed mesophytic, hemlock-mixed hardwood, hemlock dominant and wetland swamp forest. There are also several areas of white pine and Norway spruce plantations.

The Robert J. Hammershlag Hawkwatch is an excellent spot to observe a variety of hawks, falcons and other raptors during the autumn hawk migration. Other animals on the preserve include white-tailed deer, red fox, coyote, great-horned owls, barred owls and screech owls. The summer brings songbirds such as wood thrush, warblers and scarlet tanagers.

Resources

Find More Places We Protect

The Nature Conservancy owns nearly 1,500 preserves covering more than 2.5 million acres across all 50 states. These lands protect wildlife and natural systems, serve as living laboratories for innovative science and connect people to the natural world.

See the Complete Map

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