Community Nature Preserves
We acknowledge the Indigenous people who have through generations stewarded the lands and waterways of what we now call New Haven–the people of the Quinnipiac, Wappinger and Paugussett Tribal Nations. We honor and respect their enduring relationship with this land and these waterways.
(For more information, visit Native Land Digital, “A space where the stories of land and waters are carried by those who walk in ancestral relationship with them.”)
About the Preserves
Gather New Haven stewards more than 80 acres of conserved land across six nature preserves throughout New Haven. As part of our Land Trust program, these publicly accessible open spaces offer opportunities for recreation, education, and connection with the natural world, with many featuring extensive trail systems and interpretive exhibits.
The preserves protect a diverse range of habitats:
- tidal wetlands
- coastal upland forest
- grasslands
- traprock ridge ecosystems
- riparian forest
- freshwater wetlands
Our goal is to steward these preserves with care—maintaining them in their natural state while restoring areas impacted by human activity into healthy, biologically diverse environments. Through the preservation and stewardship of land in New Haven, we hope to foster a stronger sense of place, connection, and shared responsibility for the city’s urban ecosystems.
At Gather New Haven, our mission is to help neighbors and nature thrive together, and our preserves are an important part of that vision. We work alongside community partners to make greenspace more accessible—whether on properties we steward directly or across the broader city landscape—because the most important thing is that people feel connected: to nature, to one another, and to the places they live.
We believe the health of the community is deeply tied to the health of the individual, just as the health of human communities is connected to the health of the natural world. The more we work together, the stronger and more resilient both become.
What is a Land Trust?
Land trusts are nonprofit, community-based organizations dedicated to the permanent protection and stewardship of land for public benefit.
Connecticut Land Conservation Council
As a community land trust, Gather New Haven works to protect and care for natural spaces while expanding access to nature for all. We believe access to green space is a right, not a privilege, and we are committed to creating healthy, welcoming environments and advancing environmental justice in our communities.
Founded in 1982, New Haven Land Trust was one of Connecticut’s first urban land trusts, established to preserve open space in New Haven and give residents opportunities to access, experience, and learn about the natural environment.
Come take a stroll out on the Long Wharf Nature Preserve!
We’d love to hear from you!
Do you live near one of our preserves?
How do you use these spaces?
What programs, events, or improvements would you like to see?
Let us know at info@gathernewhaven.org
Throughout the year we host:
- Public Education Programs
- Nature Wellness Walks
- School Field Trips
- Stewardship Workdays
- Summer Camp Programs
For more information about school field trips, nature programs, or stewardship days:
For learning resources and information on other educational opportunities:
Preserve Guidelines
- Leave no trace
- No hunting is permitted at any of our sites
- Please keep your dog on leash at our nature preserves
- Dogs are perceived as a threat to the wildlife we are trying to protect
- Dogs tend to chase wildlife and disturb nesting ground
- Report any trash dumping to info@gathernewhaven.org and/or local police
Community Nature Preserves
Descriptions
Long Wharf Nature Preserve
Just off I-95 and fronting New Haven Harbor, this preserve is the result of human disturbance and the resilience of nature. The upland, created by filling, evolved into a grassland and a small woodland dominated by tall cottonwood trees, almost all the result of natural seed dispersion. The tidal wetland and dune area accreted (grew by accumulation) over the 50 years since I-95 was constructed. At low tide, the preserve is approximately 15 acres, from mud flat to dune to salt marsh to upland. A loop trail connects the shore and upland area, and also connects to the historic City Point neighborhood. See the map below for parking areas.
Long Wharf is also home to our Schooner Summer Camp!
Location: Long Wharf Drive next to the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial at Long Wharf Park.
Access: Parking along Veteran Memorial Park and commuter lot. Also can be accessed on the Sound School side where there is ample parking near Bayview park.
Get Connected: Join Friends of Long Wharf Nature Preserve Facebook Group. (In need of advocates and Admin for this group)
Partnerships at this location:
New Haven Harbor Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership
Want to partner with us to steward this precious resource? We rely on our partners, volunteers and grants to support projects that improve biodiversity, education and accessible use of the preserves. We can’t do it without you!
Seen at the preserves–
Click the eBird link to see what birds have been observed at Long Wharf
Diamondback Terrapin
Pond Lily Nature Preserve
Located on the West River in the Amity neighborhood of New Haven, this preserve contains 14-acres of forest, stream, and wetland. Today, the preserve is animated with the activity of fish, birds, and other animals, as well as trails and benches for human visitors, but it was not always so alive. This land was the site of factories for almost two hundred years – and these factories were not always kind to the land.
In 1794, a dam was placed on the West River at what is now the preserve in order to power a grain grinding mill. This dam created a pond on the site that became the namesake of the preserve. A succession of different factories followed this first mill, and when the last factory finally left the site in the late 1970s, the area was highly polluted.
In 1995, the site was cleaned up and donated to the Land Trust in 1996. In 2014, it was decided that the dam on the nature preserve should be removed to allow for migrating fish to swim up the West River to spawning sites upstream of Pond Lily and in order to reduce the flood hazard caused by a potential failure of the dam. This project was supported by Save the Sound and was completed in February 2016.
Since dam removal, the West River has begun to return to its natural flow and has drained the pond that used to be at this site. This has allowed for easier migration of fish native to the West River system, and has also allowed for increased recreation opportunities at the nature preserve.
We hope you come visit this beautiful space and see first-hand how dedication and hard-work can change a polluted former factory site into a beautiful nature preserve.
Location: Main Entrance:- 42 East Ramsdell St., New Haven, CT 06511
Access: Parking available on the street on East Ramsdell. Residential entrance in McConaughey Terrace. Direct River Access in Whalley Commons parking lot near Walgreens
Get Connected: Join Friends of Pond Lily Nature Preserve Facebook Group (In need of advocates and Admin for this group)
Partnerships at this Location:
West River Watershed Coalition
Want to be an added partner to this list to help us steward this precious resource? We rely on our partners, volunteers and grants to work on projects that improve biodiversity, education and use of our properties. We can’t do it without you!
Quinnipiac Meadows Eugene B. Fargeorge Nature Preserve
Located on the Quinnipiac River, this 35-acre preserve includes tidal wetlands, coastal forest and coastal grasslands. There are two loop trails on the preserve and a bird blind overlooking the salt marsh and river. Keep a look out for many birdhouses, osprey nesting platforms, and a bat box! Benches and platforms provide a great chance for bird watching!
This site was the seasonal summer home of the Quinnipiac Tribal Nation.
Location: 1040 Quinnipiac Ave.
Access: Preserve entrance is near the Amtrak railroad bridge. Park in front of the gate and walk in through the pedestrian entrance on the left side of the gate, walk down the gravel road to find the entrance to the trails. Check out the map below for more details. And Link to Street View of the entrance here.
Get Connected: Join Friends of Quinnipiac Meadows Nature Preserve Facebook Group
Partnerships at this location:
New Haven Garden Club
Want to partner with us to help us steward this precious resource? We rely on our partners, volunteers, and grants to support projects that improve biodiversity, education and accessible use of the preserves. We can’t do it without you!
Ospreys are plentiful at Quinnipiac Meadows. They take full advantage of the two installed osprey nesting platforms and even use the old, standing telephone poles in the Preserve to nest on! In early summer you can glimpse the fledglings in their nest; don’t get too close! Mommy and daddy osprey are very protective!
Click here to see what other birds visit the preserve throughout the year!
Morris Creek Nature Preserve
This 20-acre salt marsh with small upland areas borders New Haven’s Lighthouse Point Park. Once proposed for development, the Land Trust has been acquiring the marsh parcel by parcel and currently owns 10 acres. No trails have been developed, but the marsh can be viewed from Meadow View Road or Lighthouse Point Park, or by canoe or kayak. In Lighthouse Point Park, follow the trail that begins near the Butterfly Garden and follows the Morris Creek.
Location: 101 Morris Ave, New Haven, CT 06512
Access: No trails on GNH owned parcels. Can be viewed from Lighthouse Point trails maintained by Park Department, Meadowview Road and Cove Road.
Get Connected: Friends of Morris Creek Facebook Group (In need of advocates and Admin for this group)
Hemingway Creek Nature Preserve
This is a quiet wetland habitat located just across Quinnipiac Avenue from Quinnipiac Meadows Nature Preserve. Home to a variety of bird and aquatic species, the marsh remains largely undeveloped to help protect its ecological character. Gather New Haven currently stewards approximately eight of the marsh’s 20 acres. While there are no trails at this time, the preserve can be enjoyed from nearby Quinnipiac Avenue and Eastern Street.
Location: East side of Quinnipiac Avenue, immediately north of railroad underpass
Quinnipiac Ridge Nature Preserve
These two small parcels—together totaling about three acres—provide access to a much larger stretch of traprock ridge and dry oak-hickory forest adjoining Palmieri Park. From the top of the ridge, visitors can enjoy scenic views of the Quinnipiac River and surrounding landscape. The preserve remains largely undeveloped, with limited parking and no formal trail system, offering a quieter, more natural experience of this unique urban ecosystem.
Location: Quinnipiac Avenue north of Route 80, entrance between 1370 and 1376 Quinnipiac Avenue.
Access: No Trails
Get Connected for Quinnipiac Ridge and Hemingway Creek by joining Friends of Quinnipiac Meadows facebook group