Last Week to Enjoy Preston Nature Preserve before We Turn it over to the Birds for Nesting Season

Our passive listening devices recorded several species of ground-nesting birds last spring in the Preston Nature Preserve. Since many of these are birds of conservation concern, we are trying something new and are closing the Preserve to visitors for this 2025 nesting season (April 15 – August 15). No visitors will be allowed into the Preston Nature Preserve during this time. We hope this will afford a safe space for these birds, whose only nesting option is grasslands. This measure is a common conservation practice and is in keeping with the management plan that governs the Preserve.  The Preston Nature Preserve will re-open for human visitors and their leashed canine companions just after August 15, 2025, and we encourage you to come visit then. 

For those of you who have become accustomed to enjoying walks at Preston Nature Preserve, this will be an opportunity for you to explore other Avalonia Preserves in nearby Ledyard or North Stonington.  We invite you to access our Trail Finder resource to find publicly accessible preserves across Avalonia!  Of course, our Stewardship team will still have an active presence on site and will use the time to upgrade several bridges and tend to trail cameras while being sensitive to the needs of the ground nesting birds.  Thank you for your understanding, and for helping us to give these birds a safe space to raise a family.  We welcome your return to the preserve in the middle of August!