Photo submitted by the author
Suffield Land Conservancy (SLC) President Sam Wolcott enjoying nature on one of its 30 properties.
The independent nonprofit Suffield Land Conservancy (SLC) is not a town entity but collaborates with the town to permanently protect 700 acres, comprising 30 properties consisting of forests, fields, wetlands, and ridgelines.
Generous landowners and developers required to set aside acreage for open space, have donated more than half of the properties, according to its President Sam Wolcott. The organization purchases the remainder using annual membership dues, ranging from $10 to $500, donations, investment income, and grants. It has more than 113 members.All properties are open to the public for bird-watching, hiking, photography, nature-loving and family fun.
Properties to visit
Here are a few favorites based on Wolcott’s recommendations, my own hikes, and opinions I solicited on Facebook. There are 27 other SLC properties you might want to explore.
•McClean Outdoor Education Preserve. Kids, grandkids and adults alike will be thoroughly impressed with this 23-acre “gem”, as Suffield bird watcher and accomplished photographer Joan Heffernan calls it. It has two solidly built Adirondack shelters, a shed, raised boardwalks over wet areas, a sturdy bridge, a two-story observation tower, and raised gardens. High school students have put in a lot of effort helping build and maintain it, said Wolcott. It’s home to a variety of high school studies and classes for all ages. Suffield’s Danna Gauntner, who’s part of the Trees for Suffield initiative, wrote this about her first visit: “I was taken aback by the beauty, the well-maintained trail, the nature sounds and sites. I was surprised by the wide variety of trees – many labeled with names and scannable barcodes and a big chart identifying many tree types.” It’s located across the street from the high school parking lot on Sheldon Street.
•Sydney Fuller Wildlife Preserve on Mapleton Ave. The bucolic 22 acres consist of a field, Brome’s Pond, where ice was harvested 100 years ago, and a small forested area. It abuts over 47 acres of preserved farmland, offering impressive views. If the weather’s been dry, you can walk the Preserve with sneakers in as little as 20 minutes. It’s guaranteed to reduce stress and boost your spirits. “Enter 376 Mapleton Ave into your GPS. The Preserve’s driveway and small parking area are across the street. Hiking the path, you’ll see a sign pointing towards the pond. Taking the route, you’ll pass through a large field with a standalone tree, which is actually the backyard of Jay Gagnon, who tends the Preserve. Don’t be confused. Follow the field to the left. Adding more signage to many of its properties is one of the Conservancy’s goals,” Wolcott said.
•Mountain Brook Wildlife Preserve on Copper Hill Road is a 45-acre birdwatcher’s paradise. It’s primarily wetlands with a blazed trail. It has an observation deck and bridge. After a recent visit, Joan Heffernan, the bird watcher, said, “I was excited not only to hear, but also see a wood thrush as I hiked along the trail.” At the end of the rail is a bench for resting and observing nature. To visit, enter Mountain Brook Wildlife Preserve into your GPS.
For a map of Conservancy properties, along with seven other Suffield open-space categories, such as state-owned and preserved farmland, go to suffieldlandconservancy.org/properties.
The Stewards
Volunteer stewards tend Conservancy properties. Its latest annual report lists 19 stewards who oversee 24 properties. Wolcott said the men and women range in age from their mid-30s to their 70s. He’s looking to recruit six more.
Suffield retiree Steve Dunn said he’s been the steward of the 73.6-acre Silver Creek Crossing property in northeastern Suffield for over 20 years, first, informally on his own, and then for the SLC. It’s the Conservancy’s largest property, consisting of 45 acres of fields and nearly 29 acres of mostly woods, traversed by Fourmile Brook. Dunn has mowed, brush-hogged, built bridges, trimmed trees, and cut trails in the wooded section, primarily on his own. His goal is to connect the main trail that starts at a partially hidden opening on the right side of Clay Creek Drive, about 500 feet north of where Cold Spring Lane intersects, to a town open space field on Mapleton Ave., opposite Hilltop Farm. It will be about one mile long, requiring a bridge over Fourmile Brook and town permission to cross the open space.
The Conservancy has allowed local farmers to hay the 45-acre Silver Creek Crossing field in the past. It now owns a Kubota tractor and has started cutting the fields on its properties every few years, leaving the grass as habitat for bobolinks, kestrels, meadowlarks and other wildlife. The birds have returned, which is encouraging to Wolcott, who lamented the loss of many New England natural habitats due to farming and development.
Jay Gagnon is the steward of the aforementioned Sydney Fuller Wildlife Preserve on Mapleton Ave. Gagnon spends an hour weekly trimming briars and mowing an eight-to nine-foot path around the fields with his 60” John Deere tractor, making it easy to hike.
The SLC formally organized in 1980 after the town voted down the purchase of 45 acres adjacent to Sunrise Park, and concerned residents joined to secure financing.
To learn more about Conservancy properties, events, and conservation efforts, follow it on Facebook and Instagram @SuffieldLandConservancy.