06/18/2026
Some places invite you to slow down, breathe deeper and rediscover the beauty waiting just beyond the noise. Located in the heart of Wyoming County, on Welch Road in Java, Buffalo Audubon Society’s Beaver Meadow is one of those places— a tranquil preserve beckoning to all to immerse themselves in nature and to connect with and protect the natural world through bird-focused activities, advocacy and habitat restoration.
Buffalo Audubon Society was established as a bird advocacy organization more than a century ago, located on one donated parcel of land that expanded over the years. Today, its Beaver Meadow Nature Preserve encompasses more than 350 acres that includes eight miles of hiking trails, several ponds and the newly-renovated Trillium Nature Center. Welcoming people of all ages and abilities from every corner of Western New York and beyond, much of Beaver Meadow is accessible, and it prides itself on giving everyone access to nature.
“Our main goal is to connect people to nature, but what we really want to do is create memories,” shared Lynn Westcott, Buffalo Audubon Society’s Director of Development.
Sydney Bucholtz, Communications & Visitor Experience Coordinator, agrees. “There’s so many little moments that people experience here, and also this commonality of having this sense of peace that they feel when they're here. I hear that over and over again and I get that too,” she said.
A 2025 grant from the Wyoming Foundation supported programming that revolves around an immersive nature experience for kids across Wyoming County and beyond. Programs include everything from going on adventure hikes where kids build shelters in the woods and dip nets into ponds, to experiencing the nature center that houses live reptiles and a replica beaver lodge.
“One of the challenges that we've seen, especially just over the past year, is that when we reach out to schools, it seems that they can afford either the program or the transportation and they can't really do both,” noted Lynn. “This grant has helped us to say, ‘If you can get here, here's what we can do for you.’ And so it's been really helpful to leverage that and create these wonderful programs so more students can come out and enjoy nature.”
As a tourist destination, there’s always something new to do or see at Beaver Meadow. Some exciting additions are on the horizon, including an expanded accessible playscape and a sprawling, multi-level treehouse overlooking the beaver pond that should be completed by the fall.
“We want kids to come here and learn something, but it's also about the memories that they create experiencing nature,” said Lynn. “And maybe they develop a new respect for nature or see it from a different perspective because we do things here that kids cannot experience in the classroom.”
