The William B. Cummings Birding and Wildlife Trail was funded in Mr. Cummings’ honor by the Virginia Environmental Endowment. Mr. Cummings, who was chairman of the Endowment’s board for its first 17 years, was the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia when it prosecuted Allied Chemical Corp. for polluting the James River. The court accepted a portion of Allied Chemical’s fine to establish the Endowment in 1977. Its mission is to improve the quality of the environment by using its capital to encourage all sectors to work together to prevent pollution, conserve natural resources, and promote environmental literacy. The Nature Conservancy is grateful to the Endowment for its continuing support.
A trail map with interpretive information may be available at the trailhead and is also available online at www.nature.org/brownsville. An audio companion to the trail may also be downloaded from that page in advance of your visit. If you wish to continue along the trail, the entire walk is about three miles out and back.
Please observe all of The Nature Conservancy’s guidelines. Dogs must be kept on a leash, and during deer season (typically October through early January), trail hours are restricted to 9 am to 3 pm Monday through Saturday. The trail is open all day on Sundays, and The Nature Conservancy does not allow hunting on its properties on Sundays.
Mosquitoes and ticks can be intense during the warmer months, so be prepared!
Cell service is often unavailable here! You may want to use a GPS other than your cell phone.