Nature Center in Portville Offers a Wide Array of Programs for Nature Lovers

BY SCOTT EDDY

   Within the woods of the Pfeiffer Nature Center in Portville, the landscape and animal life remain as they have for centuries and the approximately nine miles of trail through forest offer a step back in time.

   Founded in 1998, the Pfeiffer Nature Center became possible through a bequest from Wendy Pfeiffer Lawrence, who donated the land which had been in her family for generations with the intention of preservation and benefit to the community. Today, the not for profit organization employs two part-time staff members and otherwise relies solely on the help of volunteers.

   The lack of man’s impact on the Center’s land and its specimens of Eastern Hemlock, White Pine, American Beech and Red Oak make it completely unique, according to Margaret Cherre, executive director for the Center.

   “There are a lot of wooded hillsides in Cattaraugus County, but we are one of the few places with a large stand of old growth forest,” Cherre said. “We have roughly 20 acres of land with trees that are hundreds of years old as our hilltop was not logged as most places around were.”

   Cherre said the effects of logging in the area means most trees in the region are 70 or less years old, in comparison to the old growth forests of the Pfeiffer Nature Center which are generations older. As such, certain species of trees, plant life and animals are found there and in no other places in Western New York.

   Aside from offering the Nature Center’s natural beauty to visitors, a variety of nature hikes which are free to the public are also available along with workshops on art and nature and a program titled, “Owl Prowl” in conjunction with Portville’s hawk rehabilitation center.

   “Owls and hawks are brought to our Lillybridge (Road) site at night and give folks an opportunity to see them up close,” Susan Avery, naturalist for the Nature Center, said. “We take a night hike and use a calling device to call to the barn owls that live in the forest to give folks an opportunity to see what they’re really like in the woods at night.”

   In February and March, snowshoe hiking will be available through the Center’s trails.

   Avery said snowshoeing allows visitors to travel deeper into the woods than possible on foot, unlocking the views of the forest in its winter slumber.

   “The woods are pretty phenomenal in the winter time,” she said. “The animal tracks and features of the trees are not normally noticeable when the leaves are out.”

   The Center has partnered with local school districts as well as St. Bonaventure University to serve as a place of education and research. St. Bonaventure has had an on-going research program on a stream bed for the past four years to study its flow to larger tributaries and ultimately how it feeds the Allegheny River. The university also has a program to study the impact planting along the stream bed has on the quality of its water.

   “People can come and enjoy the beauty of the Nature Center or do everything up to scientific research on what is here,” Cherre said.

   Cherre said an estimated 4,000-5,000 people take the opportunity to hike the property each year, taking advantage of the Center’s policy to open the Center’s trails on Lillybridge and Ubadam Roads from dawn to dusk each day.

   “Our old growth forest is really rare in the eastern United States,” Avery said. “You can take just a few steps out of the parking lot and have a very easy hike to magnificent forest life. It’s a real gem.”

   For more information on the Pfeiffer Nature Center, visit www.pfeiffernaturecenter.org or call 933-0187.