August 22, 2025 (Kent, CT) – Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy (NCLC) is proud to announce the grand opening of The Ledges, a new 45-acre public nature preserve in Brookfield. The Ledges provides the Brookfield community with a new opportunity to experience the outdoors, while safeguarding vital habitat that connects wildlife across the region.
Adjacent to the beloved 116-acre Burr Farm protected by the Town of Brookfield, The Ledges expands access to nature with an initial one-mile trail, where residents and visitors can enjoy time in nature, hiking, bird watching, and more. A future trail connection to Burr Farm is planned for 2026. Conservation of The Ledges was made possible through generous funding from the State of Connecticut’s Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition (OSWA) Grant Program, the Highlands Conservation Act, the Town of Brookfield, Connecticut Land Conservation Council’s Transaction Assistance Grant (TAG) Program, and Iroquois Gas Transmission System.
“Protecting outdoor recreation areas like The Ledges is one of the most meaningful investments we can make for the future of our community,” said Town of Brookfield First Selectman Stephen Dunn. “We’re proud to partner with NCLC to provide our residents with more opportunities to connect with nature—right in their own backyard.”
Explore The Ledges
Visitors to The Ledges can enjoy a scenic one-mile white-blazed loop trail that begins at the parking area at 5 Banquo Brae Road. The trail leads hikers up a short incline to rocky outcrops, passes a seasonal vernal pool where peepers and wood frogs can be heard in the spring, and winds through forests of Eastern hemlock, black birch, and yellow birch.
This landscape is home to a variety of wildlife, including black bear, bobcat, coyote, and white-tailed deer. Bird enthusiasts may catch a glimpse—or the song—of species such as the black-capped chickadee, wood thrush, black-throated green warbler, and great blue heron, wood thrush, and black throated green warbler.
“The Ledges is not just a trail—it’s a nature sanctuary and place of discovery and connection to nature for families, in a community with only 9 percent conserved land,” said NCLC Executive Director Catherine Rawson. “Its protection demonstrates what’s possible when land trusts and local communities work together for the benefit of both people and nature.”
A Growing Conservation Corridor
The Ledges strengthens an active wildlife corridor in the Brookfield area and is part of a broader effort to ensure long-term ecological connectivity that stretches from the Hudson Valley through western Connecticut and north into Canada. With its proximity to Burr Farm, this new preserve offers expanded access to nature and enhances the region’s outdoor recreation opportunities and environmental stewardship.
The community is invited to explore The Ledges year-round and enjoy its beauty every season.
For more information about NCLC’s 23 public preserves and trail maps, visit: ctland.org/our_trails
About Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy (NCLC)
Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy is a nonprofit, regional conservation organization working with the communities of Litchfield and northern Fairfield Counties to safeguard natural and working lands, public recreation areas, and drinking water resources forever. Founded in 1965, NCLC is the largest land trust in Connecticut, protecting 13,400 acres (and growing). To strengthen the region’s capacity to conserve high-quality conservation lands and ensure the permanence of those conserved lands for the future, NCLC merged with Brookfield Open Space Legacy in 2019 and Naromi Land Trust in 2020. NCLC’s conserved lands include 23 public hiking preserves, 49 working farms, 57 miles of rivers and streams, and over 3,000 acres of habitat for rare and endangered species.
For more information about NCLC and how you can support conservation efforts in our region, please visit ctland.org.