Hello from the Friends of Buttonhook Forest team!

We are working against time to save a precious 20.3-acre forest that contains a sacred Native American ceremonial site. We have until December 31, 2025, to raise $50,000.

Join us and stand up for the forest and all its inhabitants. Help Buttonhook Forest grow old!

Donate today. $5, $10, $25 or more. Your contribution makes a huge difference.

Background

This beautiful, mature forest, just 40 miles north of New York City, was about to be torn down for residential development, threatening this diverse native habitat – home to countless innocent birds and other animals. Then we stepped up to speak for the voiceless trees and wildlife who call this forest home, and we took a stand for Native American justice.

Countless innocent animals, endangered species—bobcats, bats, and turtles, along with diverse songbirds, hawks, and owls, and other native wildlife — would lose their homes.

In 2021, people from our town rose up and formed Friends of Buttonhook Forest Inc., a 501(c) (3) grassroots nonprofit. We built a network of regional and global allies. Word got out about the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to save this forest. The first hurdle came in 2022, when we successfully raised a $100,000 down payment to hold the land. Then we had to wait for 3 years as the owner had to deal with legal issues that came up.

Green light to move forward!

Now that we have the green light to go forward, the next step, with your help, is to raise the immediate funds needed. That’s where you come in—we need your help to raise $50,000 by December 31, 2025, to cover an additional required down payment and associated legal costs. If we don’t raise this money, the land can end up back in the hands of a developer.

This land tells a story that bridges the past, present, and future. By saving Buttonhook, we honor both ecological integrity and Indigenous history. We’re asking the public to stand with us—not just to stop destruction, but to protect a living sanctuary of culture, spirit, and biodiversity.

Learn more about Buttonhook Forest and our partnership with the Brothertown Indian Nation at our website www.savebuttonhook.org. Follow us on Instagram @savebuttonhook.

This is a sacred and irreplaceable forest because...

Sacred Heritage:

​Within Buttonhook are ancient ceremonial stone features and alignments marking underground aquifers tied to the spiritual practices of the first Indigenous caretakers. Protecting this land affirms cultural memory, sovereignty, and creates space for ceremony once more.

Ecological Importance:

This intact interior forest canopy shelters numerous migratory bird species, endangered bat species, bobcats, box turtles, and protects the headwaters of the New Croton Reservoir system, providing drinking water for millions in New York City. Preserving it provides flood protection, carbon sequestration, and safeguards biodiversity, clean water, and climate resilience. ​

Community Values:

We place a high value on ensuring that our grandchildren’s grandchildren have clean air to breathe and clean water to drink. The same is true for the plant relatives, the animal relatives, and all that inhabit this part of Earth. We strive for greater understanding, education, and respect for the ancestors who cared for this area.

Together, we can help sustain the invaluable work of Friends of Buttonhook Forest. Please consider making a donation today to support their mission and our community's natural heritage!