Centers & Education > Audubon Centers >

The Montezuma Audubon Center (MAC) is a state-owned facility operated through a cooperative agreement between the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the National Audubon Society. The MAC houses a large exhibit area, classroom, nature store, office area, auditorium, and a meeting room. On its 198 acres, there are five different types of habitat, two restored freshwater marshes, a one-mile hiking trail, and an all-access observation platform. The Montezuma Wetlands Complex (MWC) is one of the largest conservation projects in the nation for reclamation of important wildlife and wetland habitat. The complex is a crucial migration stopover point for migrating waterfowl in the northeast.

Audubon New York operates the center, in partnership with the State Department of Environmental Conservation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ducks Unlimited, The Nature Conservancy, and Pheasants Forever in the planning of educational and interpretative programs and exhibits.

The MAC Education Director works closely with school groups throughout the greater Syracuse and Rochester areas and points between. Schools and other groups come to the MAC and learn about its unique surroundings. In addition, MAC staff facilitate educational outreach programs such as For the Birds!, a program that has had great success in New York City with urban youth.

The MAC is a great addition to the already amazing Montezuma Wetlands Complex. Visitors will be able to find a full day of activities by coming to enjoy the MAC, the National Wildlife Refuge, and all the creatures great and small in the MWC.

The Montezuma Audubon Center is open:
Tuesday-Saturday: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Sundays: Noon - 4 pm (through November 22)

TEACHER WORKSHOPS

Leopold Education Project, Saturday
March 20, 10 am to 4 pm

Educators interested in teaching others about our relationship to the natural world are invited to participate in a free workshop sponsored by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Montezuma Audubon Center.  The Leopold Education Project (LEP) is an innovative, interdisciplinary education program based on the classic writings of the renowned conservationist, Aldo Leopold.  The LEP was developed to teach the public about humanity’s ties to the natural world.  Participants receive “Lessons in a Land Ethic Teacher’s Guide,” Activity Task Cards and Aldo Leopold’s classic, “A Sand County Almanac.”

Register Now!

Honeywell Institute for Ecosystems Education
August 9-13, 2010

Honeywell and Audubon invite middle school teachers to plunge into an ecosystem exploration of the Onondaga Lake watershed this summer. The Honeywell Institute for Ecosystems Education program uses inquiry-based outdoor field studies to support classroom science curriculum. Get hands-on experience to help strengthen students’ critical, analytical and creative thinking skills through your own discoveries in watershed dynamics, habitat health and the Onondaga Lake Important Bird Area.

Invitation to teachers for the Honeywell Institute for Ecosystems Education!
Learn more about the Honeywell Institute for Ecosystems Education
Apply now to the Honeywell Institute for Ecosystems Education

Download Center Trail Map (jpg)

Want to make sure your birding observations count towards more than a sense of satisfaction? Welcome to the future of birding! After exploring the , Montezuma Wetlands Complex (MWC), you can enter your bird sightings back at the Center using an easy touch-screen. Your observations are then added to others in the eBird database that scientists and citizens use to understand more about bird distributions.

eBird was developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society and it enables anyone to enter bird sightings from anywhere in North America and explore the results. The eBird TrailTracker is a portal through which any birdwatcher can enter the birds they have observed into the eBird database.

Furthermore, you have the option to accurately map your observations on a large-scale map of the MWC. Every time you notice a bird, you are holding a piece of a puzzle. By sharing your sighting with others through eBird, you'll make it possible to complete the picture we need to better understand and protect birds well into the future.

DIRECTIONS: The Montezuma Audubon Center is located approximately 2 miles north of the Hamlet of Savannah on State Route 89 and is a part of the 36,000 acre Montezuma Wetlands Complex (MWC).

From the west: take the New York State Thruway (Route 90) to exit 42. Turn left onto Route 14 and follow for approximately 12 miles until you reach the intersection with Route 31. Turn right and follow Route 31heading east into Savannah, about 15 miles. Turn left heading north at the blinking light onto State Route 89. The Center will be on your left approximately 2 miles from the intersection of Routes 31 and 89.

From the east: take the New York State Thruway (Route 90) to exit 40 in Weedsport. Turn right off the ramp onto Route 34. Turn right on to Route 31 heading west. Follow Route 31 for approximately 12 miles to the intersection with Route. 89 in the Hamlet of Savannah. Turn right at the blinking light onto State Route 89. The Center is on your left, 2 miles north of the intersection of Routes 31 and 89.

For more information please contact:

Frank Moses, Director
Montezuma Audubon Center
2295 State Rt. 89
Savannah, NY 13146
(315) 365-3580