In 2016, after years of neglect, the privately owned organization Deer Haven Park purchased most of the old base and set aside a 3,000 acre preserve where the Seneca White Deer, American Bald Eagles and other wildlife can thrive. Today, the Army is gone but many of the Majestic Seneca white deer remain to roam freely within the fences, and what is left of the abandoned Seneca Army Depot. With the additional protection from the US Army this, now famous, White Deer herd of Seneca County grew to become the largest of its kind in the world! As years passed, a few all white, white-tail deer were discovered inside the fence. During construction of the 24-mile-long perimeter fence that surrounded this Ordnance Depot, several dozen white-tail deer were trapped inside, isolating them from predators. There is no hurry so I would plan on spending a good 2 hours on your visit.In 1941, the United States War Department built a 10,000+ acre munition storage and disposal facility in the heart of the Finger Lakes Region, in central Seneca County. Initially I though the price of $50 for a car with 2 people seemed a bit expensive, but it was worth every penny. In contrast to the depot history and landmarks, the ipad will also tell you about the animals and their history in this refuge. You are provided an ipad like device that as you drive thru in your own car tells you the history of the depot and as you are driving by various structures and landmarks describes what you are seeing. Other animals are likely to be seen in addition to the examples I provided. Situated on a large piece of property that was formerly the Seneca Army Depot, it has been transformed to a nature preserve and home to many animals including the Seneca White Deer which we saw along with other deer, minks, variety of birds including an eagle who was perched in her nest with her young. This is one of those places, if you are lucky to find out about. Special thank you to Don and his wife for a splendid adventure. We will definitely return and we recommend the tour to anyone visiting the area. Seeing the ammunition storage bunkers and hearing of the military’s history only added to the fascination of the park. The tour lasted an hour and a half and was worth the $50 bucks we paid for the six of us in our vehicle. My wife says it’s our safari without Africa. The historical background narrated by the iPad provided by the park was excellent and was a welcome companion as we drove at 5-8 miles an hour through the park. We saw white deers as well as regular brown deer, several eaglets and various other animals. Her directions were impeccable and coupled with the military history and the fascination of seeing real white deers, my family and I went on an adventure. When I answered no she directed me to Deer Haven Park along route 96A. While talking about the surrounding area she asked if I have ever seen a white deer. One day we drove to Geneva and decided to visit the Visitor Center where we met a wonderful couple, Don and his wife ( her name eludes me) who works as a team. My family and I were in Watkins Glen on vacation and decided to tour the surrounding area(s).
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