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History of the Nature Preserve
The Nature Preserve designation of the forested and unaltered lands on
campus was introduced after the fall of 1969, when protests arose over
the planned used of the area as playing fields. Even though the
wetlands had already begun to be filled in, demonstrations by students
on campus halted further destruction. In response to the rather large
outcry by students and some faculty, the University ceased their
efforts to construct the playing fields in the area, and the former
President Bruce Dearing proposed that the marsh and pond area be set
aside as a nature preserve for the recreational and instructional uses
of the students and of the University community. This event sparked
much interest, appreciation and awareness, throughout the university
and local community, for the ecological values and natural beauty of
the land that was preserved. Since then, the 1999 Martin Purchase of 72
acres was added to the official Nature Preserve, bringing it to 182
acres.
Since the Nature Preserve's creation in the late 60s, there have been
fairly substantial additions made in terms of acres of land donated to
or purchased by the university. The original purchase of land for the
school in 1954 totaled 387 acres; now over fifty years later the total
acreage has more than doubled to nearly 900 acres (872 acres). In 1970,
seeing the value of preserved land, an official university committee
proposed an expansion of the Preserve through both purchase and
designation of undeveloped land. Acquisitions of land before 1985 were
in areas between Bunn Hill Road and Dodd Road in the west of 55 acres,
received from Aswad; a rectangle beginning near the water towers
heading towards the Harpur Pond 60 acres; and land along Murray Hill
Road on the east side of campus from Mr. Stair 28 acres. These were the
only parcels of land that the university received or purchased up to
1985. In 1999, the university bought more land south of Harpur Pond
atop the hill cradling the Nature Preserve. This purchase from the
Martins added 59 acres of abandoned tilled and grazed land, along with
to the east 14 acres of mature forest. The were also 5.5 acres of land
added from the Murphys across from the top entrance to the school on
Bunn Hill Road. Then only two years ago in 2001, about 45 acres, known
as the Tatich Property, were purchased near Bunn Hill road along the
Right of Way past the water towers.
The Nature Preserve was to become an area for recreational enjoyment,
relaxation, and education for the university and surrounding
communities. The preserve would benefit the entire community in an
aesthetic sense as a necessary component of basic human ecological
needs. In order to preserve its natural beauty and intrinsic value it
was suggested that hunting, littering, use of motorized or wheeled
vehicles, picking of plantlife, and harassment of animal life be
prohibited throughout the entire area.
Although the official Nature Preserve has not yet reached these
proposed dimensions, much of the land that is in an undeveloped and
wild state has received the semi-official designation of Natural Area.
Though this land is not officially protected, there is a broad
recognition within the campus of the value of maintaining these areas
in an undeveloped state. In fact, many people don't know the true
borders of the Nature Preserve and generally believe that much of the
undeveloped land on campus is part of the Nature Preserve.
History adapted from History and Natural Resource Inventory
of Binghamton's University's Campus Nature Preserve and Natural Areas,
an honors thesis by Kevin Brozyna, 2003.
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