Connecticut's Last Great Places

Saugatuck Forest Lands

A miraculous forest in the heart of Fairfield County

The upper Saugatuck River watershed encompasses 45,000 acres of pristine waterways, wetlands and forests including, at its core, a 24-square-mile continuous forest centered around the Saugatuck and Aspetuck reservoirs. Located in the heart of Fairfield County, Connecticut’s most populated corner, this forest is remarkable for its continuity, maturity, ecological integrity and relative scarcity of harmful invasive plants and animals. Bobcat, mink, fox, a host of interior forest nesting bird species, and native brook trout are just some of the animals that inhabit these forest lands and waterways.

Parts of the core forest are protected, including the Conservancy’s Devil’s Den Preserve, recently preserved Trout Brook Valley, and land owned by local land trusts and municipalities. Another 36 percent of this land is owned by the Kelda Group, all of which will soon be brought under permanent protection by the Conservancy and the state Department of Environmental Protection. The value of this forest for residential development in a region where real estate values continue to rise is virtually incalculable. The Conservancy is working cooperatively with landowners, municipalities, conservation groups, the DEP and others to preserve as much forest as possible throughout this region.

Update: Forest Conservation in Redding

• The Nature Conservancy and its conservation partners at year’s end set aside two large wooded tracts in Redding totalling 185 acres. Read press release.
• The Nature Conservancy purchased 65.3 acres of forestland for below its fair market value.  The land is bounded on the west and south by a Redding Land Trust preserve and Kelda land, to be protected next March.  Read press release.

Download

• Download the Conservancy's white paper concerning the impact of alternative sewage treatment systems on the Saugatuck River. (.pdf, 69.8KB)

Learn More

• Contact Saugatuck Forest Lands Program Director Dr. Stephen Patton at 203/226-4991 ext. 201 or spatton@tnc.org.
• If you would like a chance to explore the Saugatuck Forest Lands, please see events and field trips.
• Learn more about Connecticut's Last Great Places.