Cobble Brook Vista is over 200 acres and is one of the most beloved natural areas in Kent and Litchfield County, a mosaic of grassland, meadow, riparian habitat, pocket prairie, upland forest, and ridgeline. The preserve encompasses most of the undeveloped land in the valley of Cobble Brook, including almost a mile of the brook itself. Renowned for its pure waters and resident beaver, Cobble Brook is the preserve’s central feature and a key element of the site’s food web. Red-tailed hawk, white-tailed deer, red fox, beaver, and mink all call it home, as does a dramatic songbird community.

Smyrski Farm is NCLC’s premier agricultural preserve and one of seven that we lease to farmers in Litchfield County. A bequest gift from Sophie and John Smyrski, the farm property encompasses almost 220 acres in historic Merryall and permanently protects over a mile of the West Aspetuck River, top-rated AA for water quality. The preserve also protects over a mile of road frontage on Merryall Road as it approaches the village center.

Smyrski Farm supports grass-fed cattle farming and is used by local farmers for hay and equipment storage. The preserve’s white barns and 1763-vintage red barn exemplify Merryall’s rich farming history and are still in active use. Because the property includes the valley basin and mountain beyond, the views from Merryall Road will be protected forever.

The Preston Preserve’s 60 acres harbor the headwaters pond of Kent Falls Brook, a stream that reaches its precipitous confluence with the Housatonic River at Kent Falls State Park. The parcel, a gift of James and Faye Preston of Kent, features a dramatic 5-acre pond and marsh along Chester Road and 55 acres of pristine woodlands and streams. Beaver, amphibians, waterfowl, and bird-of-prey habitats along with stands of large maple, oak, and pine trees are permanently protected here, as is the water quality of Kent Falls Brook in its uppermost reach. It is a quiet place only interrupted by the slap of a beaver tail or the call of a wood duck.

The Bill Blass Preserve is a 40-acre farm and woodlot property on Gunn Hill Road atop New Preston Hill. The tract is adjacent to state-protected lands in a scenic and historic area in the shadow of Mount Bushnell. It sits in a compact basin between Mount Bushnell and Gunn Hill, with long views to the north, east, and southeast. The land is a mosaic of open pasture, forest, stream, pond, and edge habitats, bounded by 3100 feet of stonewalls. Farmer Gary Rebillard sustainably and humanely raises mixed-breed beef cattle and at times hogs and poultry on 21 open acres. Gary has been successfully farming the property for almost a decade.

The management plan focuses on maintaining agricultural production, protecting water features, improving the aesthetic and historic elements, and maintaining early successional wildlife habitat. Black bear, Eastern coyote, and American kestrel utilize the preserve, and the tree swallow population is remarkable. Kestrel boxes and brush piles to attract prey have been installed to aid in the restoration of this declining falcon. Widely-spaced sugar maples have been planted along the road to eventually bring back the country lane canopy that existed long ago.

The Hauser Nature Preserve is one of NCLC’s greatest treasures. Located on Fern Avenue in East Litchfield, the property is a 110-acre mosaic of lands donated by Gustave and Rita Hauser and George Weston. The most prominent feature of the property is the 25-acre grassland that is managed for bobolinks and other neotropical migratory songbirds. Litchfield farmer, Rick Plumb, ensures the successful nesting of these birds by only cutting hay after they have departed on their 12,000-mile journey to winter in South America. Bobolinks, like many grassland birds, are declining because of land development, early-season hay cutting in North America, and habitat loss in South America. We try to foster the species wherever and whenever we can. The Hauser Nature Park also provides a home for birds of prey including American kestrels, red-tailed hawks, and Cooper’s hawks.

The forestland of the Hauser Nature Preserve features fine hardwoods that extend to the north and northeast of the hayfield. Varied terrain and compact wetlands abound, creating microhabitats that foster wildlife. The Hauser Preserve rewards the quiet and attentive hiker. The Ed Eveleth Memorial Trail, named after a local conservationist and outdoorsman, who made a difference in countless lives in the county, has several loops and spurs that provide variety for repeat visitors.

The Long Mountain-Mud Pond Preserve is a network of lands owned by NCLC and conservation easements in private ownership that span the Kent-New Milford town line. Over the past several years, a coalition of concerned neighbors and the Trust have created over 400 acres of preserves in a contiguous block. Mud Pond, a productive waterfowl habitat, is a key feature of this landscape. The forestlands to the east of Mud Pond include NCLC’s McDonnell Preserve as well as the Gaffney Farm Sanctuary easement that preserves as Forever Wild the northern ridgeline of Long Mountain. NCLC’s Alice McCallister Memorial Sanctuary, named in honor of our founder, includes a public trail that facilitates the exploration of the western side of Mud Pond.

The Peardon Farm Preserve is a scenic mixed farm, forest, and stream ecosystem just west of the Bridgewater center. The parcel includes seventeen acres of well-managed fields in four discrete compartments separated by historic stone walls, a fifteen-acre hemlock-hardwood ravine and perennial stream dominating in the north, and a younger deciduous forest in the eastern reach. The stream is fine brook trout habitat in a spectacular setting. NCLC has been a management and restoration partner on the farm since 2005 with much of our work targeted at hedgerow restoration and the removal and suppression of non-native invasive species. As with all of our farm properties, we manage for multiple uses that include support for traditional agricultural practices as well as wildlife.