Audubon’s Babcock Nature Center to open in Buffalo Township June 12

The Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania will hold a grand opening June 12 for the Babcock Nature Center in Buffalo Township, along the Butler-Freeport Community Trail.

The new 2,500-square-foot center with a 1,200-square-foot pavilion is situated in the six-acre Buffalo Creek Nature Park, located off of Monroe Road next to the Buffalo-Freeport trail.

More details will be announced but the public can expect a line-up of free activities and other celebratory events marking the opening of the center, said Rachel Handel, Audubon spokeswoman.

The $1.5 million facility is expected to draw residents and tourists for programs and amenities such as refreshments, a nature store, bathrooms and the six-acre Buffalo Creek Nature Park.

After the June grand opening, nature enthusiasts, walkers, cyclists and other users of the Butler-Freeport Community Trail will have an additional place to park their cars and visit a hub of activity.

“Trail users not only will be able to use the trail but experience it hands-on through programming at the Buffalo Creek Nature Park,” said Chris Ziegler, president of the Butler-Freeport Community Trail Council.

The 21-mile recreational trail stretching from Freeport to Butler continues to attract more users annually from Pittsburgh and the region, especially during the pandemic, Ziegler said.

Given that the trail already is a destination, Audubon’s Babcock Nature Center and park will make the Buffalo Township portion of the trail even more attractive to visitors, she said. “It’s a perfect partnership,” Ziegler said.

For years, 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.

Audubon and Buffalo Township worked jointly on securing the former sportsmen’s club property for the new park and center.

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.