Stony Brook Wildlife Sanctuary is a

wildlife sanctuary A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geolog ...

Norfolk, Massachusetts Norfolk ( , locally ) is a New England town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, with a population of 11,662 people at the 2020 census. Formerly known as Wrentham, Massachusetts, North Wrentham, Norfolk broke away to become an indepe ...

. The 107-acre sanctuary, owned by the

Massachusetts Audubon Society The Massachusetts Audubon Society, commonly known as Mass Audubon, founded in 1896 by Harriet Hemenway and Minna B. Hall and headquartered in Lincoln, Massachusetts, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to "protecting the nature of Massachuset ...

, is adjacent to the 140-acre Bristol Blake State Reservation. The two areas are "cooperatively managed" by Mass Audubon and the

Department of Conservation and Recreation The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is a state agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, situated in the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. It is best known for its parks and parkways. Th ...

(DCR). A trail encircles Stony Brook Pond, ending by a waterfall at the site of a former mill. The trail is wheelchair accessible and includes a 525-foot long boardwalk, installed in 2017, that allows visitors to view birds, wildlife, and the wetland habitat over Teal Marsh and Kingfisher Pond. Wildlife found there includes turtles, ducks, geese,

great blue heron The great blue heron (''Ardea herodias'') is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North and Central America, as well as far northwestern South America, the Caribbea ...

s, and muskrats. The sanctuary also has natural history exhibits, programming space, a gift shop, nature play area, a picnic area, and a butterfly garden. Stony Brook Sanctuary 20230418 133758

References

External links

Stony Brook Wildlife Sanctuary
video tour {{Protected Areas of Massachusetts Wildlife sanctuaries of the United States Massachusetts Audubon Society Protected areas of Norfolk County, Massachusetts Wildlife refuges in Massachusetts Nature centers in Massachusetts

References

Further reading

External links