Preserves

North Shore

Bailey Arboretum
Lattington, Bayville Road and Feeks Lane
Phone:516-571-8020
On Site Staff:Yes

One of the more unique sites in the parks system, this former estate of the Bailey family offers 42 acres of exotic trees, rare shrubs and beautiful flower beds. Many of the species are native to other parts of the U.S. and other countries where the climatic conditions resemble those of the Northeast.

 

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Garvies Point Museum & Preserve
Glen Cove, Barry Drive
Phone:516-571-8010
On Site Staff:Yes

A magnificent 62-acre site set along Hempstead Harbor on the scenic North Shore, Garvies Point includes permanent exhibits and educational programs devoted to regional geology and Native-American archaeology.

Garvies Point Museum and Preserve includes access to the beautiful shoreline as well as a wooded area with trails.

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Leeds Pond Preserve plays host to the Science Museum of Long Island (pictured above).

Leeds Pond Preserve
Plandome Manor, 1526 North Plandome Road
Phone:516-627-9400
On Site Staff:N/A

This hilly, 35-acre preserve overlooks Manhasset Bay, with the Victorian mansion on the property serving as home for the Science Museum of Long Island. Nature trails traverse a wooded valley with majestic tulip trees and oaks, while a stream flows through a wetland into Leeds Pond.

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Mill Neck Preserve

Bayville, south of Bayville Avenue along Bayville Park Boulevard or Perry Avenue

Phone:516-571-8500
On Site Staff:N/A

Mill Neck Preserve is a beautiful estuary consisting of waterways and marshy areas just south of the Long Island Sound, following a northerly direction. It is part of county’s green-space holdings that are not designed for public access, although the public does have limited access via residential side roads and the boat launch run by Bayville.

 

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Muttontown Preserve
East Norwich, East Norwich, 25A west of Jericho-Oyster Bay Road, on Muttontown Lane (south side of 25A)
516-571-8500

Phone:516-571-8500
On Site Staff:N/A

Comprising 550 acres of fields, woodlands, ponds and estate grounds, Muttontown is Nassau County’s largest nature preserve and one of the most beautiful settings on Long Island. The preserve includes miles of marked nature trails with local wildflowers, trees, birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians. Muttontown also has several structures, including the Chelsea estate, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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Sands Point Perserve
Sands Point, 127 Middleneck Road
Phone:516-571-7900
On Site Staff:Yes

The imposing Hempstead House on the Sands Point Preserve stands as testimony to the grandeur of the North Shore's Gold Coast era.

 

Perhaps the most impressive of the North Shore’s early-20th-century estates, Sands Point first served as the home for railroad heir Howard Gould and was later purchased by Daniel and Florence Guggenheim. The 216-acre preserve, located by the Long Island Sound, is dominated by the massive Hempstead House but also includes a second mansion, “Falaise,” that was built by Capt. Harry Guggenheim around 1923. (Guggenheim was the founder with his wife, Alicia Patterson, of Newsday.) In addition to the properties, Sands Point provides access to beautiful walking trails, wooded areas and shoreline.

 

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Stillwell Woods Preserve
Syosset, South Woods Road
Phone:N/A
On Site Staff:N/A

A 270-acre preserve and multiple-use area, Stillwell Woods offers a blend of old field and oak barrens communities, the latter of which includes plants and animals that are more typical of habitats farther east on Long Island. The Nassau-Suffolk Greenbelt Trail for hikers runs through the preserve; there are also bicycle trails and equestrian trails.

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Tiffany Creek Preserve
Oyster Bay, Sandy Hill Road south of Meadowlark Lane
Phone:N/A
On Site Staff:N/A

A 197-acre preserve cobbled together from parts of three formers estates, Tiffany Creek provides a mix of ecological communities within the oak forest. Descending through glacially formed ravines, the preserves oak hilltop and upland meadow provide excellent examples of the mid-slope community. Tuliptree, red oak and red maple dominate the low slope. A wet meadow with a diverse plant community can be found at the northeast border of the preserve.

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Welwyn Preserve
Glen Cove, Crescent Beach and New Woods roads
Phone:N/A
On Site Staff:N/A

A sprawling 204-acre preserve, Welwyn is the former estate of Harold Irving Pratt, heir to an oil fortune. The preserve has four marked nature trails that provide access to a magnificent wooded stream valley, fresh water ponds and swamps, a coastal salt marsh, and a stretch of Long Island Sound shoreline. More than 100 species of birds and a variety of small native mammals, reptiles and amphibians inhabit the preserve’s grounds. The preserve also plays host to the Holocaust Memorial & Educational Center, which offers exhibits and other educational programs.

The Bryant Preserve includes beautiful formal gardens.

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William Cullen Bryant Preserve
Roslyn Harbor, 1 Museum Drive
Phone:N/A
On Site Staff:N/A

The preserve, which serves as home to the Nassau County Museum of Art, consists of 141 acres of beautiful grounds with sculptures and formal gardens.

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South Shore

 

The Milburn Creek meanders through the Brookside Preserve.

Brookside Preserve
Freeport, Brookside Avenue north of Sunrise Highway
Phone:N/A
On Site Staff:N/A

This 22-acre freshwater preserve provides a peaceful setting of woods and water, along with a trail. The woods feature red maple, white oak and cherry trees, along with numerous bird species such as the wood thrush and tufted titmouse. The pretty Milburn Creek meanders through the preserve, offering clear water and a sand and pebble bed.

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Massapequa Preserve
Massapequa, Merrick Road and Ocean Avenue
Phone:516-571-7443
On Site Staff:N/A

This 423-acre parcel of land comprises the largest single acquisition by Nassau County of New York City watershed property. The preserve is divided into three sections bounded by major roadways. The southern section, from Merrick Road to Sunrise Highway, contains the most diverse and ecologically valuable lands. Freshwater swamps, marsh, stream, lake and sandy-bog area provide habitat for many rare and endangered Long Island plants, including orchids, carnivorous sundews and bladderworts.

NEWS BRIEF:  During the summer of 2009, construction work at various locations at Massapequa Preserve will be proceeding as part of the larger renovation of the preserve. The bulk of the work is expected to center around the installation of force-main piping beneath the existing bike path. The contractor will be using a horizontal drilling method that, while limiting the disturbance to the bike path, will still require sections of the path to be closed for short periods. In these cases, bike path detours will be provided that will permit passage around the work areas. The County does request that those using the bike path adhere to the detour routes and exercise caution when approaching these work areas.

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Meroke Preserve
Bellmore, Orange and Farmer streets
Phone:N/A
On Site Staff:N/A

Located between Sunrise Highway and Merrick Road, Meroke Preserve contains 25 acres filled with cedar and oak trees, wild berry bushes and flowers, and two small streams splitting off from the Newbridge Creek. A couple of clearly marked trails, accessible from the Orange Street entrance, alllow hikers to take a short walk through the woods.

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Mill Pond, a 54-acre preserve, includes a large pond that draws numerous native waterfowl.

Mill Pond Park
Wantagh, Merrick Road east of Bellmore Avenue
Phone:N/A
On Site Staff:N/A

This long and narrow 54-acre preserve includes a large pond that draws numerous native waterfowl, along with nature trails that wind through a wet woodland with red maple, coast pepperbush and skunk cabbage.

Mill Pond was part of a three-pond capital improvement restoration project announced by County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi in August 2005 and completed in late 2007. The project included cleaning and dredging of the pond, removal of invasive plant life, installation of pond bank systems, landscaping, and other improvements.

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Tackapausha Preserve
Seaford, Washington Avenue between Merrick Road and Sunrise Highway
Phone:516-571-7443
On Site Staff:Yes

The Tackapausha Museum offers a window into the varied natural habitats of Long Island, including plants and wildlife in different seasons. A popular exhibit features live animals in a reversed day-night cycle; the museum also provides educational programs. The Tackapausha Preserve is an 84-acre tract of glacial outwash plain that serves as a wildlife sanctuary, consisting of wet, deciduous woods, swamps, streams and ponds, and a small well-drained grassy area reminiscent of the Hempstead Plains. A variety of small mammals and 170 species of birds have been seen at the preserve in the spring.

 

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Tanglewood Park & Preserve
Lakeview, Tanglewood Road between Ocean Avenue and Lakeview Road
Phone:516-764-0045 (Center for Science Teaching and Learning)
On Site Staff:No

An 11-acre park and preserve, Tanglewood provides a lovely nature trail and a beautifully renovated brick walkway surrounding a pond. Tanglewood also serves as home for the Center for Science Teaching and Learning, a nonprofit educational organization. Click here to link to the Center for Science Website.