Eaton Hill Nature Center & Preserve

The Nature Center

Eaton Hill Nature Center was born on October 1st, 2011 however, it began promoting connections to nature long before that. In 2000, visionary citizens of Sonora sought to purchase and transform the 37 acres now home to Eaton Hill Nature Center into a wildlife sanctuary complete with trails, trailheads, water features and more. From 2001 until 2008, Eaton Hill promoted its current mission of fostering connections to nature solely through the acreage and - for that time - was known as Eaton Hill Wildlife Sanctuary.

In 2008 the opportunity arose to set up offices in the 110+ year old historical Eaton Home (click here for more information on the history of the Eaton Home) and with it came numerous possibilities for furthering the mission of facilitating connections to nature via the establishment of Eaton Hill Nature Center. Eaton Hill Nature Center became a standalone entity in 2011 and a registered 501c3 organization in summer of 2014. Between 2013 and 2014, the entire facility interior was renovated and repaired in order to better serve the public. Additionally, many interpretive exhibits were developed and installed.

More exhibits are planned for development and include a showcase of factors that shaped the region, spotlight features regarding important plants and animals of the property, and interpretive signage along adjoining trails. The list of projects is ever growing, if you would like to help through a donation of funding, time or knowledge, please visit the get involved page.

Please view our contact page for current / seasonal hours. The facility is closed during most major holidays. We also offer field trips for schools and other groups, please click here for more information.