Centennial Watershed State Forest

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Centennial Watershed State Forest
Saugatuck Reservoir from the Saugatuck Trail in Centennial Watershed State Forest.jpg
Saugatuck Reservoir from the Saugatuck Trail in Centennial Watershed State Forest.
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Location in Connecticut
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Centennial Watershed State Forest (the United States)
Location Fairfield, Connecticut, United States
Coordinates 41°16′02″N73°22′00″W / 41.26722°N 73.36667°W / 41.26722; -73.36667 Coordinates: 41°16′02″N73°22′00″W / 41.26722°N 73.36667°W / 41.26722; -73.36667 [1]
Area15,370 acres (62.2 km2) [2]
Elevation282 ft (86 m) [1]
Established2002 [3]
Governing bodyConnecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, The Nature Conservancy, Aquarion Water Company
Website Centennial Watershed State Forest

Centennial Watershed State Forest is a Connecticut state forest of more than 15,000 acres with larger parcels located in the towns of Easton, Newtown, Redding, and Weston. Dozens of other properties are strung throughout much of Southwestern part of the state. In 2002, the lands were acquired from the Aquarion Water Company by the state in partnership with The Nature Conservancy. Those three entities continue to manage the property by committee. [4] The forest was named in honor of the hundredth anniversary of the state forest system. [3]

Contents

Recreation opportunities

Although most of the state forest acreage is off limits to the public and patrolled by Aquarion security officers, the forest offers opportunities for letterboxing, hiking on the Aspetuck Valley Trail and Saugatuck Trail, and shoreline fishing on the Saugatuck Reservoir. Access to the forest is by permit only. [5]

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Collis P. Huntington State Park is a public recreation area covering 1,017 acres (412 ha) in the towns of Redding, Newtown, and Bethel in Fairfield County, Connecticut. The state park is noted for Anna Hyatt Huntington's sculptures of bears and wolves that welcome visitors at the park entrance. Her work can also be seen in the heroic sculpture of General Israel Putnam at Putnam Memorial State Park in Redding. The park bears the name of railroad magnate Collis Potter Huntington, whose heirs donated the lands to the state. The park's web of multi-use trails is open to hikers, cyclists, and equestrians. The park is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

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The Saugatuck Reservoir is a reservoir in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, that straddles the border between the towns of Redding, Weston, and Easton. Its completion is marked by the creation of the Samuel P. Senior dam of the Saugatuck River in January 1942, and provides water to several of the nearby towns. The reservoir is surrounded by the Centennial Watershed State Forest and a small section of the Trout Brook Valley State Park Reserve on the southeast end of the reservoir. The Saugatuck Reservoir utilizes an uncontrolled spillway adjacent to the Samuel P. Senior dam that effectively limits the maximum water level. There is also a concrete levee positioned on the southeastern side of the reservoir that prevents water from flooding Trout Brook Valley.

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Trout Brook Valley State Park Reserve is a 300-acre (120 ha) parcel owned by the state of Connecticut that is part of the larger Trout Brook Valley Preserve, located in Easton, Connecticut. The full conservation area covers 1,009 acres (408 ha) and comprises several contiguous parcels in the towns of Easton and Weston, bordering the southeast corner of the Saugatuck Reservoir. It is managed by the Aspetuck Land Trust. The state park portion of the preserve offers opportunities for hiking and hunting.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nehantic State Forest</span>

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Quaddick State Forest is a Connecticut state forest located in the town of Thompson north of Quaddick State Park. The forest protects 466-acre (189 ha) Quaddick Reservoir and provides opportunities for fishing, hunting, canoeing, letterboxing, and youth group camping.

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Tunxis State Forest is a state forest located in the towns of Hartland, Barkhamsted, and Granby in Connecticut, United States. The forest surrounds Barkhamsted Reservoir and borders the Granville State Forest in Massachusetts. The forest is used for hiking, mountain biking, cross-country skiing, fishing, hunting, and letterboxing. Several trails cross the forest, including the northern end of the blue-blazed Tunxis Trail.

References

  1. 1 2 "Saugatuck Reservoir". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. "Appendix A: List of State Parks and Forests" (PDF). State Parks and Forests: Funding. Staff Findings and Recommendations. Connecticut General Assembly. January 23, 2014. p. A-1. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Centennial Watershed State Forest". State Parks and Forests. Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. July 18, 2016. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  4. "Clues for Centennial Watershed State Forest". Connecticut State Forests Seedling Letterbox Series. Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Retrieved September 28, 2013.
  5. "Connecticut Recreation: General Guideline". Aquarion Water Company. Retrieved September 28, 2013.