Additional Wildlife Sanctuary in the Connecticut River Valley

West Branch Wildlife Sanctuary

Mass Audubon’s wildlife sanctuary network in the Connecticut River Valley includes 10 properties. Nine are ready to be explored with marked trails, maps, and signage including:

At Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary you will also find a nature center with naturalists to help guide your experience. 

The other wildlife sanctuaries (listed below) are conserved land that provides valuable habitats, is ecologically managed, and regularly monitored but not yet "prepared for the public" to visit.

Brush Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, Warwick

147 acres

Location

Brush Valley Wildlife Sanctuary lies in a hidden valley located in the secluded western Massachusetts town of Warwick.

Conservation Features

The lovely Gales Brook, strung with beaver ponds and an old mill pond, forms the heart of this forested wildlife sanctuary in Warwick. West of the brook, steep slopes with rocky outcroppings host a variety of forest types, while the gentler eastern slope joins with the Warwick State Forest. Along the banks of the brook an abundance of cardinal flower provides a striking contrast to the greens, browns, and greys of the surrounding landscape.

Nearby Places to Explore

Poor Farm Hill Wildlife Sanctuary, New Salem

West Branch Wildlife Sanctuary, Heath

50 acres

Location

Located off Hosmer Road in Heath, the wildlife sanctuary is landlocked and not accessible from a public way. It is bounded on the north by the West Branch of the North River. 

Conservation Features

West Branch includes high-quality rich mesic forest community, which is among the best occurrences of this type of natural community within Mass Audubon’s wildlife sanctuary network.West Branch also includes a rugged, steep slope, carved by landslides, that rises above the southern bank of the river, an exemplary cold water stream.

Nearby Places to Explore

High Ledges Wildlife Sanctuary (Sheffield)