Wharton Brook State Park

Last updated
Wharton Brook State Park
Allen Brook Pond in Wharton Brook SP at dusk.jpg
Allen Brook Pond in Wharton Brook SP at dusk
Relief map USA Connecticut.png
Red pog.svg
Location in Connecticut
Location North Haven and Wallingford, Connecticut, United States
Coordinates 41°25′32″N72°50′12″W / 41.42556°N 72.83667°W / 41.42556; -72.83667 Coordinates: 41°25′32″N72°50′12″W / 41.42556°N 72.83667°W / 41.42556; -72.83667 [1]
Area96 acres (39 ha) [2]
Elevation39 ft (12 m) [1]
Designation Connecticut state park
Established1919
Administrator Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Website Wharton Brook State Park

Wharton Brook State Park is a public recreation area located off U.S. Route 5 in the towns of North Haven and Wallingford, Connecticut. [3] Activities in the 96-acre (39 ha) state park center on Allen Brook Pond, a 5-acre (2.0 ha) pond that empties into Wharton Brook. [4] The park is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

New England town Basic unit of local government in each of the six New England federated states of the United States

The New England town, generally referred to simply as a town in New England, is the basic unit of local government and local division of state authority in each of the six New England states and without a direct counterpart in most other U.S. states. New England towns overlay the entire area of a state, similar to civil townships in other states where they exist, but they are fully functioning municipal corporations, possessing powers similar to cities in other states. New Jersey's system of equally powerful townships, boroughs, towns, and cities is the system which is most similar to that of New England. New England towns are often governed by a town meeting legislative body. The great majority of municipal corporations in New England are based on the town model; statutory forms based on the concept of a compact populated place are uncommon, though they are prevalent elsewhere in the U.S. County government in New England states is typically weak at best, and in some states nonexistent. Connecticut, for example, has no county governments, nor does Rhode Island. Both of those states retain counties only as geographic subdivisions with no governmental authority, while Massachusetts has abolished eight of fourteen county governments so far. With few exceptions, counties serve mostly as dividing lines for the states' judicial systems.

North Haven, Connecticut Town in Connecticut, United States

North Haven is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut on the outskirts of New Haven, Connecticut. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 24,093.

Wallingford, Connecticut Town in Connecticut, United States

Wallingford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 45,135 at the 2010 census. The urban center of the town is the Wallingford Center census-designated place, with a population of 18,209 at the 2010 census. The community was named after Wallingford, in England.

Contents

History

The state park was established as a precursor of the modern highway rest stop, with picnic grounds, a camping area, and services for automobiles. It opened on August 1, 1919, as the first of what the State Park Commission intended to be a series of "Wayside Parks" created in the more heavily traveled areas of the state. [5]

State park protected area managed at the federated state level

State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational potential. There are state parks under the administration of the government of each U.S. state, some of the Mexican states, and in Brazil. The term is also used in the Australian state of Victoria. The equivalent term used in Canada, Argentina, South Africa and Belgium, is provincial park. Similar systems of local government maintained parks exist in other countries, but the terminology varies.

Highway A public road or other public way on land

A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks: It is not an equivalent term to controlled-access highway, or a translation for autobahn, autoroute, etc.

On May 15, 2018, an EF1 tornado that transitioned into a microburst caused significant damage to the park, forcing officials to close the park for an unspecified period of time. The park has reopened on January 14th, 2019. [3]

Activities and amenities

The park offers fishing, swimming, picnicking, and several short footpaths totaling less than a mile in distance. [6] The park is one of the state's designated trout parks that are stocked with trout on opening day and at other times of the year. [7] Great blue herons and other wildlife may be found in the park.

Great blue heron species of bird

The great blue heron is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North America and Central America, as well as the Caribbean and the Galápagos Islands. It is a rare vagrant to coastal Spain, the Azores, and areas of far southern Europe. An all-white population found only in south Florida and the Florida Keys is known as the great white heron. Debate exists about whether it is a white color morph of the great blue heron, a subspecies of it, or an entirely separate species.

Related Research Articles

Chatfield Hollow State Park

Chatfield Hollow State Park is a public recreation area occupying 412 acres (167 ha) that lie adjacent to Cockaponset State Forest in the town of Killingworth, Connecticut. The state park offers hiking trails, a swimming beach, trout fishing, mountain biking, rock climbing, and picnicking areas. Park attractions include 6.67-acre (2.70 ha) Schreeder Pond, Indian caves, historic sites, a restored water wheel, and a reproduction covered bridge. The park is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Squantz Pond State Park

Squantz Pond State Park is a public recreation area located 10 miles (16 km) north of Danbury in the town of New Fairfield, Connecticut. The state park encompasses 172 acres (70 ha) on the southwestern shore of 270-acre (110 ha) Squantz Pond, offering opportunities for boating, swimming, fishing, and hiking. The park is bordered on the west by Pootatuck State Forest and is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Mohawk State Forest

Mohawk State Forest, also known as Mohawk State Forest/Mohawk Mountain State Park, encompasses over 4,000 acres (1,600 ha) in the towns of Cornwall, Goshen, and Litchfield in the southern Berkshires of Litchfield County, Connecticut. As overseen by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the area is used for hiking, picnicking, and winter sports by the public, while being actively managed to produce timber and other forest products.

Wadsworth Falls State Park

Wadsworth Falls State Park, or simply Wadsworth Falls, is a public recreation and preserved natural area located on the Coginchaug River in the towns of Middletown and Middlefield, Connecticut. The state park's 285 acres (115 ha) offer trails, fishing, swimming, and picnicking. It is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Millers Pond State Park

Millers Pond State Park is a public recreation area lying adjacent to Cockaponset State Forest in the towns of Durham and Haddam, Connecticut. The park's central feature is 33-acre (13 ha) Millers Pond, whose principal source of water is large springs that create a body of unpolluted water excellent for trout and smallmouth bass. The park offers fishing, hiking, mountain biking, and hunting.

Black Rock State Park

Black Rock State Park is a seasonal public recreation area adjoining Mattatuck State Forest in the town of Watertown, Connecticut. The state park covers 444 acres (180 ha) and is known for its large rock face, Black Rock, that offers views of Thomaston, Watertown, and portions of Waterbury. The park is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Bigelow Hollow State Park

Bigelow Hollow State Park is public recreation area in the town of Union, Connecticut, in the Quinebaug Highlands. The state park's 516 acres (209 ha) border Nipmuck State Forest on the east and west and Mashapaug Lake on the north. The park and forest are located in a large hollow or depression approximately 700' below the surrounding ridgelines. They are managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Indian Well State Park

Indian Well State Park is a public recreation area occupying 153 acres (62 ha) on the west bank of Lake Housatonic, an impoundment of the Housatonic River, within the city limits of Shelton, Connecticut. The state park's scenic features include a 15-foot (4.6 m) horsetail waterfalls with splash pool at bottom. The park is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Burr Pond State Park

Burr Pond State Park is a public recreation area covering 438 acres (177 ha) adjacent to Paugnut State Forest in the town of Torrington, Connecticut. The state park surrounds Burr Pond, an 85-acre (34 ha), man-made body of water with facilities for swimming, boating, and fishing. It is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Mono Pond State Park Reserve

Mono Pond State Park Reserve is a public recreation area covering 218 acres (88 ha) in the town of Columbia, Connecticut, 8 miles (13 km) southwest of Willimantic. The state park surrounds Mono Pond, a 113-acre (46 ha) body of water averaging depths of 3.5 feet (1.1 m) with an area near the dam reaching a depth of nine feet (2.7 m). The park offers fishing, hiking, picnicking, cross-country skiing, bow hunting, and a boat launch for motorized and non-motorized boating. The park is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and was added to the roll of Connecticut state parks in 2008.

Beaver Brook State Park

Beaver Brook State Park is an undeveloped public recreation area covering 401 acres (162 ha) in the towns of Windham and Chaplin, Connecticut. The state park encompasses Bibbins Pond, also known as Beaver Brook Pond, as well as the acreage northward as far as the Air Line State Park Trail, which forms the park's northern boundary. The park is a walk-in facility, open for hunting and trout fishing, managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Quinebaug Lake State Park

Quinebaug Lake State Park is a public recreation area covering 181 acres (73 ha) in the town of Killingly, Connecticut. The state park offers opportunities for fishing and non-motorized boating on Wauregan Reservoir. The park is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Ross Pond State Park

Ross Pond State Park is a public recreation area covering 314 acres (127 ha) in the town of Killingly, Connecticut. The state park offers hiking, hunting, fishing, and a boat launch. It sits adjacent to Old Furnace State Park and a blue-blazed trail connects the two. Ross Pond State Park entered the Connecticut Register and Manual in 1964 as a state park of 181 acres (73 ha).

Stillwater Pond State Park

Stillwater Pond State Park is a public recreation area covering 226 acres (91 ha) in the town of Torrington, Connecticut. The state park surrounds Stillwater Pond, a 100-acre (40 ha) impoundment on the West Branch Naugatuck River. Fishing, boating, and a paved boat ramp are offered.

Trout Brook Valley State Park Reserve

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.

Day Pond State Park

Day Pond State Park is a public recreation area covering 180 acres (73 ha) in the town of Colchester, Connecticut. The state park abuts Salmon River State Forest and is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. The park offers opportunities for hiking, swimming, shoreline fishing, picnicking and mountain biking.

Becket Hill State Park Reserve

Becket Hill State Park Reserve is a public recreation area lying adjacent to Nehantic State Forest in the town of Lyme, Connecticut. The state park is as an undeveloped, walk-in park totaling 260 acres (110 ha) with no officially listed activities. It is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

James L. Goodwin State Forest

James L. Goodwin State Forest is a Connecticut state forest covering approximately 2,000 acres (810 ha) in the towns of Chaplin and Hampton. The lands became public property when James L. Goodwin donated the personal forest he had been developing since 1913 to the state in 1964.

Nassahegon State Forest

Nassahegon State Forest is a Connecticut state forest occupying 1,227 acres (497 ha) in the town of Burlington.The forest is managed for forestry and recreational purposes and is operated by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Nehantic State Forest

Nehantic State Forest is a publicly owned forest and recreation area occupying two parcels, one in the town of Lyme and one in the towns of East Lyme and Salem, in the state of Connecticut. The forest, which totals 5,062 acres (2,049 ha), is the site of regular prescribed burns and timber-harvesting operations. Purchase of the land began in 1926, when it became the first state forest located in New London County. It is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

References

  1. 1 2 "Wharton Brook State Park". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey.
  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-4. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Wharton Brook State Park". State Parks and Forests. Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. July 28, 2017. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Allen Brook Pond" (PDF). Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. September 2011. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
  5. ↑ Report of the State Park and Forest Commission to the Governor 1920 (Report). Hartford, Conn.: State of Connecticut. December 28, 1920. p. 27. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Wharton Brook State Park" (PDF). South Central Regional Council of Governments. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Trout Parks". State Parks and Forests. Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.