avalon park and preserve

What avalon park and preserve does

Avalon Park and Preserve is a Stony Brook, New York-based nonprofit that permanently stewards 216 acres of protected Long Island north shore habitat, of which 140 acres and roughly five miles of trails across five distinct habitats (Mill Pond, Coastal Corridor, Hilltop Meadow, Harbor Meadow, Forest Sanctuary) are open to the public free of charge year-round. The organization combines conservation, regenerative agriculture, youth education, and astronomical observation under one operational umbrella: it runs Birdsfoot Farm, a regenerative organic farm acquired in 2018 that produces vegetables, flowers, eggs, pasture-raised poultry, and honey and distributes them through a nine-tier CSA program (priced from $90 to $525 per season) and a self-serve farmstand that, starting in 2026, will be restricted to CSA members. Regenerative practices include rotational grazing, silvopasture, no-till farming, cover cropping, vermiculture, and biological soil testing via Harrington's Organic Land Care.

Revenue is assembled from CSA subscriptions, farmstand sales, donations, and youth programs. Youth offerings include the Nature Initiative (grades 8-12, all year), Natural Connections (summer paddling and White Mountains hiking), and the Marine Studies program sponsored through Western Suffolk BOCES. The organization also operates Sky Dome and Sky Lab observatories with permanently mounted telescopes, a twelfth-year shellfish mariculture program at Stony Brook Yacht Club restoring Eastern oysters and hard shell clams, and a chestnut restoration project launched with SUNY ESF in April 2024 using 60 seedlings on a half-acre clearing. Marketing is community-led, relying on the website, Instagram, Facebook, an email newsletter, event programming, and partnerships with Four Harbors Audubon Society, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Friends of Flax Pond, Bayles Boat Shop, and LISEC to drive participation.

Name

avalon park and preserve

Legal name

Avalon Nature Preserve

Website

https://avalonnaturepreserve.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Avalon Park and Preserve is a Long Island nonprofit that permanently protects 216 acres of habitat, offering free public trails, regenerative organic farming through Birdsfoot Farm CSA, youth education programs, observatories, and shellfish restoration for the Stony Brook community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nature Preserve and Environmental Education

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Parks, Recreation & Protected Areas Administration (BPAIAMAH), Conservation Easements & Land Trust Services (AFAMAMAH), Conservation, Restoration & Biodiversity Services (Habitat, Wetlands, Riparian) (IMAMAJAH)

Keywords

• Nature preserve management
• Environmental education programs
• Habitat conservation services
• Community supported agriculture
• Regenerative organic farming

Headquarters

HQ city

Stony Brook

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA): Members of the community pay upfront for a share of the harvest. Produce is grown without synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides. Shares include vegetables, eggs, poultry, and flowers with pickup on scheduled days.
2. Farmstand Sales: Year-round self-serve farmstand offering fresh-cut specialty flowers, seasonal vegetables, pasture-raised poultry, chicken and duck eggs, and raw honey. Cash, credit cards, and Apple Pay accepted.
3. Marine Studies Program: Western Suffolk BOCES Marine Science Enrichment Program - one-week residential summer program offered at no cost to successful applicants
4. Youth Programs: Programs including Nature Initiative (all year, grades 8-12), Natural Connections (summer paddling and hiking), and Marine Studies. Some programs have no fee.
5. Donations and Membership: Free public preserve relying on donations and community support for operations

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Avalon Nature Preserve protects 216 acres of Long Island north-shore habitat, with 140 acres open to the public for trail-based recreation and education across meadows, woodlands, and shoreline habitats. It operates Birdsfoot Farm's Community Supported Agriculture program and year-round self-serve farmstand, and runs youth environmental education, astronomy, and marine science programs alongside regenerative organic farming and shellfish mariculture.

Product overview

Avalon Park and Preserve operates as a nature preserve organization offering a single unified portfolio of conservation, recreation, and agricultural programs. The core offering is the 216-acre protected land with public trails spanning five distinct habitats. Additional programs include astronomy education through Sky Lab Observatories, youth leadership programs (Nature Initiative, Natural Connections, Marine Studies), conservation initiatives (shellfish restoration), and agricultural operations through Birdsfoot Farm including a CSA program and farmstand retail outlet selling produce, flowers, poultry, eggs, and honey.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Nature Initiative: Teen stewardship program providing skills to protect the natural environment
• Natural Connections
• Marine Studies
• Sky Lab and Sky Dome
• Birdsfoot Farm
• Four Harbors Audubon Society

Products and services

• Public Preserve Access Free public access to Avalon Nature Preserve's 216 acres of permanently protected Long Island north-shore habitat, including 140 acres open to the public with trails through meadows, woodlands, and shoreline habitats.
• Sky Dome and Sky Lab Observatories Observatory structures housing permanently mounted telescopes used for solar and stellar observing, supporting monthly astronomy events and educational programming for visitors and community members.
• Nature Initiative Year-round teen program for grades 8-12 focused on environmental stewardship, leadership, and engagement with local conservation organizations and community events.
• Natural Connections Summer outdoor leadership program for grades 8-12 offering paddling on Long Island waterways and hiking in New Hampshire's White Mountains, created in 2007 by Doug Elliot with Katharine Griffiths and Steve Gessler.
• Marine Studies Program One-week residential summer marine science enrichment program for teens ages 15-17, sponsored by Avalon and supported by Western Suffolk BOCES, offered at no cost to successful applicants.
• Birdsfoot Farm CSA Community Supported Agriculture program offering 18-week Full Vegetable Shares ($525.00) and Half Vegetable Shares ($270.00), with separate full and half shares for eggs, poultry, and flowers, plus shorter six-week spring egg and flower shares; pickup scheduled at Birdsfoot Farm.
• Birdsfoot Farmstand Year-round self-serve farmstand at Birdsfoot Farm selling fresh-cut specialty flowers, seasonal vegetables, pasture-raised poultry, chicken and duck eggs, and raw honey, accepting cash, credit cards, and Apple Pay.

Quantifiable outcome

• One oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water a day
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SUNY College of Environmental Science and ForestrycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 April 2024Working with SUNY ESF on American Chestnut restoration project. Birdsfoot Farm welcomed 60 American Chestnut seedlings onto the farm in April 2024, planted in a half-acre clearing. Future plans include expanding with transgenic or gene edited chestnuts.
• OHoneyBeeFarmminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018OHoneyBeeFarm has managed hives on Birdsfoot Farm land since before 2018. Honey is primarily from nectar of local locust trees and is available exclusively at the Birdsfoot Farm farmstand. Bees also pollinate fruits, vegetables, and flowers.
• Four Harbors Audubon SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Four Harbors Audubon Society hosts monthly bird watching walks at Avalon Nature Preserve on the second Saturday of every month. Walks typically last two hours and visit places like Avalon's trail system, the Stony Brook Harbor estuary, and local harbor front.
• Stony Brook Yacht ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStony Brook Yacht Club hosts the shellfish mariculture program at their beach location on Shore Road. The program grows Eastern oysters and hard shell clams, going into its twelfth year, to improve water quality and restore shellfish populations.
• Western Suffolk BOCEScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWestern Suffolk BOCES Marine Science Enrichment Program is sponsored by Avalon Nature Preserve. This one-week residential summer program immerses local teens in Long Island's marine environment at no cost to applicants.
• Friends of Flax PondminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAvalon Nature Initiative joins Friends of Flax Pond for Diamondback Terrapin monitoring at West Meadow Beach. Volunteers assist in checking sites for nesting female terrapin turtles, taking GPS coordinates, counting eggs, and protecting nests from predators.
• Cornell Cooperative ExtensionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCornell Cooperative Extension runs the Horseshoe Crab Monitoring Network, a community science effort throughout New York State. Avalon Nature Initiative volunteers participate in counting and tagging efforts to assess horseshoe crab status.
• Long Island Seaport and Eco Center (LISEC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLISEC is a nonprofit dedicated to promoting appreciation and awareness of maritime history and the marine environment. They support projects and activities related to nautical history education and environmental stewardship for youth.
• Bayles Boat ShopminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAvalon Nature Initiative assists Bayles Boat Shop on building a 12 ft Fiddlehead double paddle canoe based on a 1992 design by Harry Bryan. The wooden boat building program runs October-May during the school year.
• Harrington's Organic Land CarecoreTechnology or IntegrationBirdsfoot Farm works with Harrington's Organic Land Care in regenerative soil management through biological testing, custom compost extracts, biofertilizers, natural amendments, and organic land care solutions that restore soil health.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture: Sleepy Hollow, NY nonprofit operating a regenerative farm plus public education campus. Highly comparable hybrid model combining regenerative agriculture, on-site education, and visitor programming, though at significantly larger scale and budget.
• Trust for Public Land: National nonprofit focused on land conservation and creating parks close to home. Directly comparable mission of permanent land protection, though operating at vastly greater scale and geographic reach than Avalon.
• Mass Audubon (Broadmoor and similar sanctuaries): Regional land conservation organization operating multiple wildlife sanctuaries with trails, education, and conservation programs. Comparable sanctuary-based model combining habitat protection, free/paid public access, and structured youth education programs.

Direct peers

• Peconic Land Trust: Long Island-based land trust that acquires and manages protected natural areas, including farmlands. Directly comparable mission (permanent land protection) and regional footprint on eastern Long Island, with similar conservation and public-access model.
• Mashomack Preserve (The Nature Conservancy): Shelter Island preserve operated by a major land trust, offering hiking, education, and conservation programs on a similar coastal Long Island footprint. Closely matches Avalon's combination of protected habitat, public access, and conservation programming.
• South Fork Natural History Museum (SOFO): Long Island nonprofit natural history museum offering environmental education, field programs, and naturalist-led walks. Comparable youth education, public access, and Long Island regional footprint.
• Quogue Wildlife Refuge: Long Island nonprofit nature preserve offering free public trails, wildlife habitat, and educational programs in a comparable Long Island geography. Most directly analogous operating model to Avalon: protected land, free access, education focus, and community-driven funding.
• Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery & Aquarium: Long Island nonprofit combining environmental education, conservation (including fish stocking and marine stewardship), and public visitation. Comparable in combining free/affordable access with hands-on educational programming for youth and families.

Emerging players

• Garden of Eve Organic Farm & Market: Long Island organic farm operating CSA shares, farmstand, and on-farm events. Closely comparable to Birdsfoot Farm's CSA and farmstand operations, though Garden of Eve operates at larger scale and without the conservation-preserve overlay.

Regional players

• Caleb Smith State Park Preserve: New York State preserve on Long Island offering trails, nature study, and environmental education. Comparable protected-land-and-education model, but operated as a state park rather than an independent nonprofit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xinstagram.com/avalonnaturepreserveli
• Facebookfacebook.com/AvalonNaturePreserve
• Instagraminstagram.com/avalonnaturepreserveli
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/avalon-nature-preserve

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about avalon park and preserve