BUFFALO TWP — Work will begin this year on a new nature center to accompany the Todd Nature Reserve.

It is sponsored by Buffalo Township and the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania.

Jim Bonner, the society’s executive director, said his group has been working with the township on plans for a $1 million park that would be opened adjacent to the nature reserve and contains a new nature center.

The new park will be one mile from the Todd Nature Reserve along Little Buffalo Creek and near the Buffalo-Freeport Trail. The center will be surrounded by 6.83 acres of forest.

Although it won’t be in the nature reserve, the center will be considered part of the reserve, Bonner said.

“We discussed putting a center there for a number of years,” Bonner said. “Being nestled between the creek and the trail, it has some other amenities you may not find at our other parks.”

In addition to the center, the park will have a nature-themed store, concessions and bike rentals. Bonner said he hopes to add picnic facilities and a nature play area.

The society also plans to clear brush along the creek and make access easier for youths and people with special needs to fish in the creek.

Bonner said the project’s timeline starts this summer with improving the driving paths and dealing with pooling water in selected spots. He said they also may be able to install some bathrooms and pavilions this spring and summer.

They hope to break ground soon for the center.

John Haven, township supervisor chairman, said the project has been a goal for nine years. He said the supervisors knew they wanted a nature-oriented project to complement the Butler-Freeport Trail.

“The people wanted a place for outdoor activities,” Haven said. “This is an opportunity for anybody that uses the trail to use our park, too.”

He said the trail brings an estimated 130,000 people per year to the region, and hosts an average of seven to nine races a year.

Haven said he hopes to have enough of the new park finished to host the first marathon along the trail by next year.

Haven said the creek also will draw fisherman because there is a healthy population of trout and bass there.

“Our parks and recreation people are excited to get started,” he said. “It’s a win-win for everybody.”

Haven said the township has applied for a state grant for $500,000 to split the project’s large price tag with the society. The state Department of Conservation and National Resources assisted the township with a $90,000 grant to buy its portion of the park, he said.

Bonner said the Audubon Society’s financial contributions will come from its Centennial Campaign, an anniversary fundraiser that went public last month. He said the society has raised $4.5 million so far, and it still needs to raise $2.5 million to achieve all the goals.

While a portion of the campaign goes to the new center, there are plans for additions and renovations to the other three Audubon parks, he said.

“We’re doing brick and mortar at all three of our locations,” Bonner said.

He said the most extensive work will be to the new center in the next few years.

“There’s nothing like it in the area,” he said of the center. “We talked with a number of stakeholder groups, and we’ve been getting very strong, positive feedback.

“This is a way to become a broader part of the community.”

Bonner said the new park will continue to make Butler County a more unique place to live. He said the county would be the fourth one to have two full-service Audubon centers, and he attributes that to the dedication of its resident members.

“We’ve enjoyed growing up with the community,” Bonner said. “The whole watershed is an important bird area, and we are just proud to be a part of it.”