The Nature Conservancy’s Disney Wilderness Preserve

A unique partnership between the Walt Disney Corporation and The Nature Conservancy resulted in the creation of this preserve. Required to pay mitigation credits for developments near Lake Buena Vista, Disney’s dollars went towards the purchase and management of this magnificent tract of land. The Nature Conservancy constructed an excellent Conservation Learning Center on-site, along with 5.5 miles of trails for hiking. Watch for Wild Turkeys, Sandhill Cranes, and Bald Eagles along the paved entrance road. Florida Sandhill Cranes, our resident subspecies, typically feed in pairs or small family groups. Larger groups of Sandhill Cranes aggregating in colder months represent the northern, migratory subspecies that overwinters in Florida. Register at the welcome center before setting out on the hiking trails. Look for Northern Bobwhites, Eastern Bluebirds, Red-tailed Hawks and wintering wrens and sparrows. At the lake margins, American Woodcock, Wilson’s Snipes and King Rail have been recorded. More than 70 butterfly species have been documented here, including the Appalachian Brown, Palatka Skipper and Ruddy Daggerwing; the latter is typically found much farther south, where its host plant, the strangler fig, is more common.