Felts Audubon Preserve
PLEASE NOTE THAT DOGS ARE NOT ALLOWED ON FELTS PRESERVE. EXCEPTIONS ARE ONLY FOR SERVICE DOGS.
OPEN HOUSES ARE BACK! Please join us for the next Felts Open House and Guided Walk.
When: First Saturday of every month (September - April), from 8am -12pm. Learn about Felts Preserve, native plants, and birds! Please see our Calendar on the home page for the upcoming Open Houses.
JOIN US FOR THE NEXT FELTS PRESERVE WORKDAY:
When: Last Saturday of every month (September - April), from 8am - 12pm. Learn about plants & wildlife, and implementation of our new Habitat Management Plan! Please see our Calendar on the home page for the upcoming Felts Work Days.
Click Picture for a Video of Felts Preserve
This place is "For the Birds"...
Open Sunrise to Sunset 7 Days a Week. Just park on the road and walk through the pedestrian access. Members are given the combination to the gate and may drive in and park.
Felts Audubon Preserve is proud to offer handicap access to our facilities. If you are looking for handicap access find the gate with the alphabetical lock. The combo is SAND. Please lock behind you and once you leave.
Located at:
4600 24th Ave, Palmetto, FL for Directions, all other correspondence should be sent to the PO Box on the Home Page Click Here for the Google Map Location
Conveniently located in Palmetto, this 28-acre nature preserve was donated by Otis & Anita Felts to the Manatee County Audubon Society when Otis passed away in 2002. His dream was that it would never be developed. Now our dream is to use the property as an environmental educational center for people of all ages.
As land in southwest Florida is rapidly consumed by development, this property is being used to benefit wildlife. We are returning the land to a more natural condition, please see our newly approved Habitat Management Plan in the drop down menu above, implementation of which will begin October 2020. Please join us on our Felts Work Days on the last Saturday of each month (unless other wise noted), to help us get this site back in great shape!
This place is "For the Birds...and for Birders!"
While we come up with innovative ways to provide opportunities to educate the public on environmental issues, the land is being used by an abundance of different animals including many migratory birds. We have documented 194 avian species and 33 butterfly species at Felts Audubon Preserve!
Otis & Anita Felts (1995)
Click Picture for Video
The Painted Bunting is a signature bird at Felts Audubon Preserve.
Enjoy this video captured by Claire Herzog at Felts Preserve in late December 2013.
(Click on photo at left for video to open.)
Improvements continue including managing footpaths, an enhanced bird blind for comfortable wildlife observation, and habitat restoration. A variety of habitats are found on our small preserve including freshwater ponds, open fields, mixed conifer forests, hardwood hammocks, and bay swamps to attract a wide variety of wildlife, especially migratory and nesting birds and colorful butterflies.
Take a walk on the wild side by visiting Felts Audubon Preserve today!
Every year, MCAS installs hundreds of plants for birds and wildlife that call Felts Preserve their home. This could never have been possible without Sweetbay Nursery. Please consider stopping by for all of your native plant needs and show support to an amazing business and organization that helps Florida stay a little more native.
