- Open for recreation: Year-round
- Fee: Free
- Contact Information:
- DEC Region 7 Sherburne Office (M-F, 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM), (607) 674-4017; [email protected]
- Search, rescue, wildfire, and enforcement matters: 911- or - 1-833-NYS-RANGERS (1-833-697-7264)
A local Forest Ranger is a valuable source of information for the state land you would like to visit.
- Location: Towns of Cazenovia, Fenner and Nelson, Madison County
- Wildlife Management Units: 7M & 7J
- Map: Nelson Swamp Unique Area Map (GeoPDF) - GeoPDF Instructions || Google Earth || DECinfo Locator
The 979-acre Nelson Swamp Unique Area is located approximately 20 miles southeast of Syracuse. For your safety and protection of the natural resources, please adhere to the special regulations listed below.
In recent decades, Nelson Swamp has been of interest to botanists and other students of natural history who have been attracted to the area's rich diversity of plant and animal life. The most recent survey cataloged 400 species of vascular plants including several rare and state-protected plants. The area also supports a diverse population of breeding birds with 105 species recorded during a 1990 survey.
From State Route 20, which passes through the swamp, a traveler's gaze is often drawn to a low lying landscape of wet meadows, deciduous woods and dark groves of cedar and pine. From the State Route's hilltop perspective, one can follow the Chittenango Creek as it meanders on its circuitous journey north to Lake Ontario. The Chittenango, which is the dominant water course within the swamp, was commonly referred to as Chittening by settlers but was derived from the Oneida word "Chu-de-naany" meaning "where the sun shines out".