We offer guided sanctuary tours for classes and groups for a nominal fee.

Our sanctuaries are also open every day from dawn to dusk for you to visit without charge.
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Because of the generosity of our members, our sanctuary tours are offered on a sliding scale, priced to fit your budget. We will not turn away any group because of inability to pay.

All sanctuary tours are scheduled weather permitting. If our schedule allows, we may be able to reschedule your group on a different day if your tour is cancelled by weather. We regret that we are not able to pre-schedule rain/snow days. We reserve the option to decide on tour cancellation based on our best judgment of trail conditions.

Ages and Grades
Our sanctuary tours have been well-received by all ages: preschool through college students, adult community groups, and seniors. Pinecliff Sanctuary is wheelchair accessible.
[More about Pinecliff]

Cost: $85/tour.
Underwritten by the support of our membership and by other fundraising support, our fees do not reflect the full cost of our sanctuary tours. However, our tours are also offered on a sliding scale fee to a limited number of schools and groups unable to afford this minimal cost. If your group is unable to afford the full costs, talk with us. No group will be turned away for inability to pay.

Payment is requested on the date of the tour by check payable to "Saw Mill River Audubon" or within 30 days following. Please see below for information on BOCES funding for schools in northern Westchester.

Scheduling
We strive to schedule our sanctuary tours to suit your time frame and class or group needs. Sanctuary tours can be offered weekdays or weekends anytime from dawn to dusk.

For your first choice of dates and times, please contact our office as soon as possible. Once you have reserved a tour, we will send you a confirmation letter acknowledging your reservation.

Group and Class Sizes
Tour sizes are limited to 25. For grades K-2, we require one adult chaperone for every six students. For grades 3-6, one adult should accompany the group for every eight students. For grades 7-12, we require one adult per 12 students.

We limit tour sizes to offer a higher quality, more enjoyable experience for your class or organization.

Tours for larger groups of adults are available by request. However, not all tour topics are suitable for large groups.

Tour Lengths
We suggest scheduling a 30 minute visit for grades PreK through 1 and visiting Pinecliff Sanctuary only. We recommend 60 to 90 minutes per tour for grade 2 through adult for visits to Brinton Brook, Pruyn and Pinecliff Sanctuaries.

We will tailor the sanctuary tour to suit your class or group needs. Please note that we presently do not offer restroom or water facilities at our sanctuaries.

BOCES funding
Northern Westchester schools are encouraged to investigate the possibility of BOCES funding for sanctuary tours. We have been grateful to receive Northern Westchester-Putnam BOCES support for our classroom and outdoor programs for over fifteen years. Please feel free to contact us if you have questions about this option.

The Saw Mill River Audubon Federal Employee Identification Number for BOCES forms is: 13-6161411. This number should be used in lieu of the Social Security Number on payment forms.

In the case of BOCES funding, we can work with your school office and BOCES to help process the necessary forms and payments once your school initiates the request to BOCES.

Tour Locations & Topics

Sanctuary tours are offered at Brinton Brook, Pinecliff and Pruyn Sanctuaries. Pinecliff Sanctuary is wheelchair accessible with a quarter-mile boardwalk built to the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

We offer general walks introducing the plants, wildlife and habitats of Brinton Brook, Pruyn or Pinecliff Sanctuaries. We can also focus on the one of the topics below.

Walk distances are adjusted for your group. Please do let us know in advance if your group or class includes those with special needs and we will plan accordingly.

Seasonal Exploration
Explore one of our sanctuaries with a focus on the plants and animals visible during the current season.

Westchester Birds
Take a guided bird walk at Pruyn, Brinton Brook, or Pinecliff Sanctuaries. Use your eyes and ears to see and identify local birds.

Forest Ecology
Discover the layers of the forest habitats at Pruyn or Brinton Brook Sanctuaries. Identify local forest plants and animals.

Wetland Ecology
Explore the red maple swamp of Pinecliff Sanctuary. Find out why wildlife and people need wetlands.

You are invited to come to our free public programs and field trips, visit our sanctuaries and add your voice to ours to protect the natural world. Come, meet us and see, in person, what we do!

We also invite you to consider joining us as a member.

You can join Audubon online today
and be billed later for membership.