A soft opening is planned this spring for the $1.5 million Babcock Nature Center in Buffalo Township, under construction off Monroe Road next to the Butler-Freeport Community Trail.
A collaboration between the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania and Buffalo Township, the new 2,500-square-foot center and a 1,200-square-foot pavilion will offer programming, restrooms, refreshments, food, trail parking and more. Audubon plans to work on educational opportunities at the center and its environs with local districts and residents, as well.
Audubon has long been interested in building a public facility in the unique, bird-rich habitat of the Buffalo Creek Valley area, where the nonprofit owns land, including the nearby Todd Nature Reserve.
“It’s exciting to see this come to completion soon,” said Jim Bonner, executive director of the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania. “We think of the Babcock Center as a destination for people and a hub for work to preserve the watershed.”
Buffalo Township worked with Audubon to secure the six-acre site of the former Oregon Hunting and Fishing Club. For the township, the new facility will attract tourists who will patronize local businesses.
Buffalo Township and the center are only about a half-hour drive from Pittsburgh. “There’s a lot of beauty down there, and people will come for that,” said Buffalo Township Supervisors Chairman Ron Zampogna.
“We are excited for sure,” he said. “It will be a great addition to the township.”
Audubon sees the center as serving the public and local students with a range of nature programs from working with native plants to birding while you bike. “We’re looking at it to be a large community asset,” Bonner said.
Zampogna added the center’s site is in a perfect location next to the Butler-Freeport Community Trail and close to Route 356.
“We are ecstatic to have our new neighbors,” said Chris Ziegler, president of the Butler-Free Community Trail Council. She also was happy to be consulted by Audubon asking about what trail users would like at the new center.
“It will be great to have a central hub on the southern part of the trail,” she said. “It will attract more trail users.”
Usage of the 21-mile trail continues to climb, especially during the pandemic. An estimated 200,000 people used the trail in 2020, with a surge of 450% in trail usage in the months of June and July as compared with the same time the year before, she said.
Site work and the construction of the nature center were made possible by grants from the Babcock Charitable Trust, Richard King Mellon Foundation, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the state Department of Community and Economic Development and other donations.
