Description
PLEASE NOTE: Trail and parking improvements are underway at Wolf Swamp Preserve from February to May 2023. The preserve will remain open for visitors during this period. We apologize for any inconvenience and hope these upgrades enhance your experience at Wolf Swamp. Questions? Contact: Kevin Munroe, 631-367-3225, ext. 124.
Big Woods and Wolf Swamp Preserve is open during hunting season (Oct. 1 - Dec. 22). Written permission is required to hunt on TNC lands. To learn about our hunting program or to obtain permission to hunt, please visit our New York hunting information page.
In addition to the mature forest of oaks, American beech and white pine for which Big Woods is named, the preserve includes freshwater wetlands, beaches and tidal marshlands. Located in North Sea, just south of Robins Island, Big Woods and Wolf Swamp are part of one of the most extensive salt marsh-tidal creek systems remaining in the Peconic estuary. The area has long been recognized for its natural beauty and ecological significance, as well as its importance to the water quality of the Great Peconic Bay.
In 1995, as a result of an ongoing dialogue with the owners of the largest privately owned property in the area, The Nature Conservancy, in partnership with Southampton Town, acquired the 87 acres comprising the Big Woods Preserve. This added to 333 acres owned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Peconic Land Trust and TNC in our Wolf Swamp and Scallop Pond Preserves.