Welcome to Sapsucker Woods

Sapsucker Woods is the sanctuary that surrounds the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Cornell University is located on the traditional homelands of the Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' (the Cayuga Nation). With the arrival and settlement of Europeans in 1789, the area around what is currently Sapsucker Woods became an isolated woodlot by the 1830s-1840s. The land was spared clearing for agriculture due to the area’s unsuitable soil types. Specifically, drainage made conditions too wet to be profitable for farming crops. Instead, the land was used for grazing and logging, but at a small scale. Arthur Allen, the founder of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, visited Sapsucker Woods in June 1909 and was inspired by the area's biological diversity. He sought to conserve the area from future resource extraction. In 1953, Sapsucker Woods Sanctuary was preserved through purchases and donations of land. Today Sapsucker Woods comprises 220 acres and 4 miles of hiking trails.