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Protecting land and natural resources in Bethel, CT, has been the cornerstone of Bethel Land Trust’s work since our founding 40+ years ago. Why protect land? The reasons are many:
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Good for Our Ecology |
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Good for Our Community |
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Good for Our Health |
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Buckboard Ridge RoadThis is a native red maple swamp of roughly 9 acres in size, donated to the Land Trust in 1985 by Wolfpits Associates. The Wolfpit Brook flows through it.
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Janet P. Miller PreserveDonated by John F. Miller in 2013. 10 acres It shares a parking lot with the Wolf Pits Preserve. Has marked trails. Mixed forest including both evergreens and deciduous trees. Includes a brook.
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Ivy IslandIvy Island is a landlocked 4.7-acre preserve donated by Dolores Walter in 1996. The preserve indeed is an island, a late-succession wetland forest. The island itself (which is full of snakes and poison ivy) is usually not accessible during very low water or when the water is iced over....
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Honey Hollow Preserve.02 acres donated by the Town of Bethel in 1999. Yes, .02 acres. Honey Hollow is a road right-of-way extending into the Bethel Educational Park. Forested. Currently there is no trail, but it may provide through-trail access to trails in the Educational Park.
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Barbara Thompson PreserveThe Barbara Thompson Preserve is 3.4 acres of forested wetlands, located off Plumtrees Road, adjacent to Blue Jay Orchards. It was donated to the Land Trust in 1997.
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Franc PreserveIn 2013, the Town of Bethel acquired 72 acres of former farmland from the Franc family and designated it as protected open space. The Bethel Land Trust and other volunteers, including Eagle Scout candidates, created 2 miles of hiking trails, installed bridges, nature interpretive signs, and a kiosk. BLT...
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Cross Hill PreserveThis 21.094-acre preserve was donated by Golden Wood and T.D. & Sons and is primarily a lowland maple forest with seasonal wetlands. Currently, there are no trails due to extensive multiflora rose and wetlands.
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Skyedge PreserveSkyedge was donated by Target Corporation in Bethel in 2004. It is 3 acres of mixed meadow and mixed hardwood forest. There are bluebird boxes installed here, so it's a good spot for spotting meadow birds. It currently does not have any trails but does have a small parking area.
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Albert PreserveThe Albert Preserve was donated to the Land Trust by Barbara Albert in 2016. It is roughly 3/4 of an acre in size and is a light forest with an overgrown field.
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Limewood Farm PreserveThis is a 15-acre preserve purchased from Paul Young in 1999. Mr. Young still resides next to and manages the preserve. Access is by permission only. The preserve is a limestone ledge forest. The pond is not part of the preserve.
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Overlook ParkOverlook Park is a park located near downtown Bethel with interesting terrain and a picnic area. Hikes around the property wind through commanding rock formations, past a cave, and to a mountain-laurel-lined ridge overlooking the neighboring hills. Overlook is owned by the Town of Bethel; the Bethel Land Trust...
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Mike’s PondDonated by James MacNicholl in 2006. A short, flat trail crosses a small brook to an area between 2 ponds on 1.5 acres.
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Plishner Memorial Family Preserve at Cherry LaneDonated by Paul Plishner in 1979. 8 acres of successional oak and maple forest with slightly rolling land. Walkable woods. It currently has no trails.
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Wolfpit Preserve2023 brings a new 4.7-acre acquisition thanks to the cooperation of its previous landowners, Richard and Debbie Sutton, and the generous financial contributions of Peter & Karen Valenti, William Valenti, Bob & Cal Manfreda, Michael Valenti, and Don & Roberta Warfield. Wolfpit and Janet P. Miller Preserves is now over...
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Stephenson PreserveThe Bethel Land Trust worked with the Redding Land Trust in the initial stages of development to find the best site for an adequate parking lot. We also helped build the kiosk, which is modeled after the kiosk in Wolfpit Preserve. The Stephenson Preserve trail starts at the parking lot...
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Van Campen LaneThe Van Campen Preserve was donated by Robert Engelstad in 1983. The Van Campen Preserve consists of two parcels on either side of Van Campen Lane that total just over 12 acres. It abuts Putnam Park on one side and the Land Trust’s Arrowhead Preserve on the other side. There...
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Correards PreserveThis three-acre preserve was donated by Carol and George Correard in 2002. It has existed as open space for many years and is preserved as a wildlife sanctuary. The preserve itself encompasses three acres, primarily of sugar maple forest. It is accessible via a foot-only travel easement along a five-foot...
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Aviary PreserveThe Aviary Preserve was donated to the Bethel Land Trust by Bruno in 2014. It is a 17.5-acre property, primarily a lightly forested swamp that serves as open space and habitat for native plants and animals.
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Boardwalk on the Enchanted TrailThe Enchanted Trail stretches across Wolfpit Preserve, the Bethel Educational Park, Boardwalk, and into East Swamp and eventually connects to the Bennet Property, Meckauer Park, and crosses to the Libby Kellogg Preserve. It passes through a mix of Bethel Land Trust properties and public land. After the end of the boardwalk, continue...
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Shelly PreserveShelly Preserve is a small one-acre hickory forest donated by Anthony and Margaret Hoyt in 1995. The preserve is located at the end of Shelly Road and is located adjacent to the Newtown Forest Association’s Brunot Preserve. There is easy parking on a cul-de-sac.
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Ivy Mountain ForestIvy Mountain Forest is comprised of two parcels of land totaling 4.558 acres, donated by Gary Michaels in 2011. The parcels are landlocked but are accessed by a trail system located behind Wild Oaks Condominium or a steep hillside climb from the East Swamp Trail. This preserve is an oak forest...
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Walnut Hill PreserveThe Walnut Hill Nature Preserve encompasses 4.5 acres, mostly a wetland meadow and a shared pond. This meadow serves as a flood plain for the adjacent Dibbles Brook and was donated to the Land Trust by William and Catherine Petlock in 2012. There are no immediate parking spots or trails...
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Joyce Dixon PreserveThe Joyce Dixon Preserve combines together two properties along Dibble Brook into one 4.5-acre preserve. Kurt Hersher donated the first part in 1987, and Mary Dibble donated the rest in 1992. The preserve is a red maple swamp with a seasonal pond. No trails, as it is a swamp....
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Arrowhead PreserveArrowhead Preserves comprises two separate parcels, one 10.662 acres and the other 4.42 acres, donated by Arrowhead Hills, LLC, in 1999. Both are mixed-age hardwood forests with some seasonal wetlands. The larger preserve abuts another one of our preserves located on Van Campen Lane. The smaller preserve abuts Putnam...
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Imbrogno Reserve at Country WayImbrogno is a small preserve 1.872 acres in size, donated by Margaret Imbrogno and Catherine Longo in 2002. A portion of the preserve abuts a private pond. Currently, there is not a trail, and there is no public access.
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Pressmar PreserveThe Pressmar Preserve was established in 1984 from a donation by William Pressmar. It is a lightly forested property with seasonal wetlands. Access is somewhat limited, as the property is landlocked with no trails.
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Wooster Street PreserveThe Wooster Street preserve is a 9.310-acre preserve donated by BRT Corporation in 1986. The preserve is a mixed hardwood forest and wetland habitat. There is no access to trails.
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Twin Maple Preserve.17 acres donated by the Town of Bethel in 1999. Twin Maple is a road right-of-way extending from the end of a dead-end road. Small hardwood forest, primarily oak, maple, and ash.
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Libby Kellogg Preserve19 acres of seasonal wetland. No marked trail. Skirt the wetland at the end of the bridge, and then the driest part is next to the brook. The property was donated by James Davenport and Kenneth Parson in 1980.
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Dibble PreserveDibble Preserve is a landlocked, five-acre preserve donated by ____. The preserve is primarily a red and black oak forest located in Newtown. There are no trails and no public access.
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Hoyt Property at Shelley Road1 acre donated by Anthony and Margaret Hoyt. Oak and hickory bisected by a brook. The stone wall on the right connects to the 72-acre Franc property (Town of Bethel—Open Space), which connects to the 76-acre Newtown Forest Association property with hiking trails.
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