Wolf Preserve

Southold, New York
Wolf Preserve is a 23-acre nature sanctuary, accessible trail system, and educational catalyst for the East End of Long Island. Wolf Preserve is one of The Peconic Land Trust’s 91 nature preserves and will be their first and only accessible trail network on the East End of Long Island. Located between encroaching housing subdivisions, the Preserve gives the community, disabled individuals, school groups, and nature enthusiasts an equal opportunity to enjoy and explore. The goal of the project was to create a universally accessible trail system for all visitors that would allow everyone to engage with the land at their own pace. 

The 1.5-mile trail network traverses through native meadows, a deciduous forest, juniper groves and a freshwater wetland. Expanding on the Peconic Land Trust’s mission to connect individuals to the land, distinctive nodes were designed that enhance the five senses: tactile, auditory, visual, olfactory and gustatory. These carefully designed nodes focus on education, preservation, conservation and sustainability. 

The design impacted the natural ecosystem as little as possible. By using extensive topographic analysis, our design minimized disturbance to the land and vegetation. Where existing trees fell into the path of the new trail network, only trees that were compromised or classified as invasive were removed, ensuring that the ecosystem would not be negatively impacted. The path was configured to allow visitors to view existing native flora and fauna while not impacting these important resources, and all of this was done while maintaining accessible slopes and related standards.
Size
23 acres