Mount Loretto Unique Area

Mount Loretto Unique Area is a 194-acre nature preserve on the shores of Raritan Bay in the Pleasant Plains section of southern Staten Island. Managed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the preserve protects one of the most significant coastal habitats in the metropolitan area.

The site was formerly home to Mount Loretto, the Catholic orphanage and vocational school founded in 1883 by Father John C. Drumgoole as the Mission of the Immaculate Virgin. Once among the largest childcare institutions in the country, with hundreds of children living on a farm of several hundred acres, the orphanage wound down in the late 20th century as foster care replaced large institutions. New York State later acquired the undeveloped shoreline portions, protecting the grasslands, forests, freshwater wetlands, and dramatic bay-front bluffs from development.

The preserve's coastal bluffs, rising above Raritan Bay, provide nesting habitat for bank swallows and offer panoramic views across the bay to New Jersey and the distant hills of the Raritan Bayshore. The grassland habitats support rare butterfly species and grassland birds.

Mount Loretto's trail system includes coastal bluff walks, woodland paths, and freshwater pond overlooks. The preserve is one of the most popular birdwatching destinations on Staten Island, particularly during fall migration when raptors, songbirds, and waterfowl pass through.

Mount Loretto Unique Area preserves a landscape of extraordinary ecological and scenic value on the southern shore of Staten Island, protecting habitats that are irreplaceable within the metropolitan area and providing nature access that enriches the lives of all who visit.