Todd Nature Reserve adapts and thrives
BUFFALO TWP — The Todd Nature Reserve, much like the animals and plants it shelters, has adapted and grown during its lifetime.
Brian Shema, operations director for the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, said the reserve has grown since 1942 when it was just 75 acres of donated farmland.
“Right now, the reserve contains six miles of trails on a property of 460 acres, 220 acres of public accessible land,” Shema said.
The reserve got its start 72 years ago when W.E. Clyde Todd, a noted ornithologist and curator emeritus of birds at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, donated the first parcel of land that was known as Todd Sanctuary, now known as Todd Nature Reserve.
Shema said Todd studied the bird life of the area while visiting his grandparents at their nearby farmhouse.
According to the society, Todd discovered a magnolia warbler nesting there. At the time, the discovery was notable because it was thought the area was too far south for the birds to nest. His quest to report his discovery launched his distinguished career in ornithology.
“He was the original ornithologist of Western Pennsylvania,” Shema said. “His original data is used today to examine bird diversity. He laid the groundwork for understanding the birds of the region.”
His first donation also laid the groundwork for today's nature reserve.
Shema said in 2000 the society acquired 110 acres for the reserve, acres that are not accessible to the public.
“Since 2000, we have had a conservation easement purchased on a dairy farm across the road,” Shema said. “We own the development rights to the property. It will always be a farm or a natural property. It will never be developed. It's protected in perpetuity for 130 acres.“Even more recently, we purchased six acres and the deed restriction on another three acres,” Shema said.“We are preserving the core portion of the Todd Nature Reserve and trying to help protect the viewscapes and the natural integrity of this part of Buffalo Township.“It's all part of the society's mission to connect people with birds and nature through programs, projects and places,” he said.The public is free to walk the trails of the reserve every day from dawn till dusk, with the exception of the two weeks of deer season after Thanksgiving when the trails are closed. No dogs are allowed on the trails.“In the summer we offer programming on the property. Professional naturalists are available to teach about the flora and fauna that exists here at Todd,” Shema said.“We offer citizen science programs where the public can join naturalists and collect data on water quality,” he said.It's part of the monitoring of what Shema calls the reserve's indicator species to assess the ecological health for the area.“The Louisiana waterthrush nests along streams at Todd and eats aquatic invertebrates, the larva of stone flies and bay flies that grow in streams. Their population indicates healthy streams,” he said.“The Kentucky warbler is a declining species. It's sensitive to the disturbances in the understory, the lower canopy of the forest. Browsing deer can clear out the undergrowth.“The Acadian flycatcher likes moist, hemlock-lined ravines. We have a healthy population,” he said.The birds are just part of a large population of animals that include raccoons, squirrels, foxes, even bears and coyotes, he said.“The coyotes have always been here, but now they are adapting to human activity,” he said.The reserve is part of Audubon's Buffalo Valley Important Bird Area program, as well as the Buffalo Creek Watershed Conservation Plan.And it's also part of Charles and Terry Beir's personal history.Charles Beir, a conservation biologist for the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, a private nonprofit conservation group, said he and his wife met on one of Todd's trails.“I actually spent summers in college working there as a summer naturalist,” Beir said. “She was new to the neighborhood, and a neighbor brought her to one of the walks.“We were married in 1981 and in 1986 we bought land nearby. We were both very fond of Todd.”
