Tait Preserve

Located in Penfield, N.Y., approximately 20 minutes from RIT’s Henrietta campus, the Tait Preserve features a diverse landscape of hills, deciduous hardwood forests, and open meadows in addition to Redman Lake and Irondequoit Creek, which flows through the property. The Preserve is home to a menagerie of animals, including deer, turkey, beaver, fox, coyotes, and a wide variety of spectacular migratory and non-migratory birds. Students and faculty have utilized these natural resources to great effect as they conduct research across various disciplines. Visits by appointment or reservation only.

RIT acquired the Tait Preserve in 2019 via an enormously generous donation from Amy and Bob Tait, for whom it is named. For many decades prior to being owned by the Taits, the property operated as a sand/gravel quarry and a concrete mixing plant. Redman Lake, the property’s 60-acre lake, was created in the early 20th century to pursue the sand and gravel that was contained underground. Over time, the property changed form as the material was excavated and deposited in different areas until it reached its current configuration. Since functioning as an industrial site, the property has been undergoing a process of ecological restoration and enhancement, which continues today.