Directions from Geneseo:

Travel north on Rt. 39 to Cavalry Drive, which is .7 (seven tenths) of a mile north of the court house. Turn east onto Cavalry Drive and park on the road side. The preserve is on both sides of the road. Find the Genesee Valley Conservancy sign on the south side of Cavalry just off Rt. 39, this is where we will start our nature walk. Please do not park along Rt. 39.

The 40-acre preserve is an active birding area for grassland species, and many others. This is a botanically diverse space which includes a small, but active, wetland and a small woodlot.

The weather is expected to be sunny and very warm. Be prepared with sunscreen and insect repellent. There may be poison ivy along the trail.

Many northeastern grassland species are visitors to the region only for the summer breeding season. There are a dozen grassland bird species that can be found in Livingston county, they are:

Barn Owl, Bobolink, Eastern Meadowlark, Grasshopper Sparrow, Henslow's Sparrow, Horned Lark, Northern Harrier, Ring-necked Pheasant, Savannah Sparrow, Short-eared Owl (a winter visitor), Upland Sandpiper, and Vesper Sparrow. Another northeastern grassland species is the Sedge Wren; not normally seen in our area, it ranges nearer to Lake Ontario.

The Island Preserve is adjacent to an Oak Savanna Habitat along the Genesee River, a feature unique and rare in New York state. An oak savanna landscape is defined as being an area of predominately grassland with a tree canopy of less than 50% coverage. An oak savanna is also known as an "oak opening".

Some of our early settlers had the foresight to preserve a percentage of the massive oaks that dotted the pioneer landscape. And for that reason, we enrich our heritage by maintaining a unique wildlife habitat.