The Binghamton University campus in Broome County, New York currently encompasses 930 acres of land, including over 600 acres that are undeveloped and in their natural state. The core of this undeveloped land is officially designated the Nature Preserve, 190 acres of land that includes a 20-acre wetland.
Binghamton University is unique among other schools with such a large, on-campus resource. Few other schools have such direct, easy access to such a variety of natural systems as found here, making this preserve a valuable resource for teaching and learning, ecology, arts, literature and outdoor recreation. Among other things, it is also the largest and best-used laboratory on the Binghamton University campus. While it has no workstations, sinks, computers or petri dishes, it is home to deer, beaver, fox, mink, muskrat, porcupines and other mammals, a diverse amphibian and reptilian population, and over 200 bird species, the broadest range to be sighted in any one place in the Southern Tier. Its habitats include hemlock forest, oak woodlands, a beaver pond, streams, wetlands, shrubbed meadows and lichen-covered dry sites. The preserve includes a number of maintained hiking trails and a wooden footbridge.
Overall, the Nature Preserve is home to an amazing array of species and is a beautiful area for study and recreation. It's setting, as part of the campus directly adjacent to the developed portion, makes it a welcome sight for students, faculty, staff and the surrounding community.
