Sunny Valley Preserve

Connecticut

Phone: +1 860-355-3716
Email: lshail@tnc.org
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Overview

Description

In 2023, The Nature Conservancy marked 50 years of working at the Sunny Valley Preserve. Donated by the late George D. Pratt Jr. of Bridgewater in a series of transfers from 1973 to 1979, Sunny Valley Farm was originally purchased by Pratt's father in 1934. Over the years, Pratt went on to protect more than a dozen separate pieces of open or wooded lands in the area from developers before donating them to TNC to be protected while supporting sustainable farming and education.

Today, TNC's Sunny Valley Preserve boasts a variety of topography, geology and natural habitats along both sides of the Housatonic River Valley, including large stands of hemlock and mixed second growth hardwood forest that supports diverse wildlife and biological communities. Throughout its 1,850 acres of farmland, forests, wetlands and meadows – spread out across 19 parcels of land – visitors can hike on trails and learn about nature, land management and environmentally compatible farming at several observation sites.

Since assuming ownership, TNC has initiated surveys to develop an inventory of the preserve's wildlife and plants. TNC also created habitat to support New England cottontails, which were formerly listed as a federally threatened species but are in recovery thanks to this type of conservation effort.

Access

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Location

New Milford and Bridgewater, CT

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Hours

Dawn to dusk; office hours 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday

Size

1,850 acres

Resources

Sunny Valley Preserve Trail Map

Explore our work in Connecticut

Staying True to Sustainable Farming

Ever since assuming ownership of the Sunny Valley Preserve in 1973, TNC promised to protect the parcel in ways that would also feed the planet's growing population. Here, conservation and agriculture exist together, with 450 acres of working farmland managed alongside 1,450 acres of natural areas.

Over time, after making significant capital improvements, TNC established four primary farms that are leased to farmers. This investment has paid off with increased local interest in the preserve. It has become a focal point of community interest, offering educational opportunities, outdoor recreation opportunities and habitat to support diverse plants and animals.

Sunny Valley has certainly evolved over the decades, but the heart and soul of this work has remained the same: to protect the land and all of its wildlife and vegetation while nourishing local communities through farming methods that work with the land, rather than just making use of it.

Wayne Woodard, TNC's Sunny Valley Preserve Director

Visit

Plants and animals to look for during a visit to the preserve include migratory species such as the worm-eating warbler, cerulean warbler, northern goshawk and scarlet tanager, which are known to secure nesting habitat in Sunny Valley's forests. The preserve's grasslands and a wide range of vegetation also provide habitat for such species as the Eastern meadowlark, bobolink, American kestrel and Cooper's hawk, which are known to be declining in the Northeast.
- Visitors are welcome to enjoy passive recreation, including hiking, birding, nature study, butterfly observation and cross-country skiing.
- Please stay on designated trails.
- Carry out everything that you bring in.
- The following activities are prohibited to maintain the ecological integrity of the preserve: collection of plant or animal specimens, camping, fires, fishing, hunting, bicycling and use of motorized vehicles.
- Dogs are allowed on Sunny Valley Preserve hiking trails, but must be leashed. Please clean up after your pet.
With more than 1,850 acres, including over 18 miles of hiking trails so many good options, it can be hard to decide which parts of the Sunny Valley Preserve to visit on your next adventure. If you’re looking for a sky-high overlook, a vernal pool or a water view, this preserve has all of that and more. Here’s a little bit of help with some must-see spots.
- Wolf Pit Mountain: This hiking area features a few different trails, with all being moderate-to-strenuous, and an overlook that will have you feeling on top of the world—when the trees aren’t as leafy, expect views of the Housatonic River and western plateaus extending into New York. Travel through an upland hardwood forest and groves of hemlock trees. Find parking at Henry Sanford Road in Bridgewater.
- Iron Ore Hill: Pick up a Blue-Blazed trail here that is part of the Connecticut Forest and Park Association Blue-Blazed Hiking Trail System and leads all the way to Bridgewater Town Park. Find parking at Iron Ore Hill Road in Bridgewater for a 3-miler. While traveling along the Blue-Blazed trail between Iron Ore Hill and the Silica Mine Hill parcel, detour onto the red trail that travels through a variety of typical western Connecticut up-land forest, leading to Lake Lillinonah.
- Silica Mine Hill is a strenuous hike with many hills and is named for the deposits (veins) of silica that dot the landscape. History of this area tells us the silica was harvested, loaded on carts, pulled by oxen and/or horses and transported to New Milford where the Bridgeport Wood Finishing Company would grind it and add it to paint products for fillers. You can see evidence of this activity today. At marker 138 is a vernal pool. Find parking at Hemlock Road in Bridgewater for a 4-mile trek.
- The Rocky Hill parcel is over 200 acres with a trail that traverses through the center, crossing farmland and upland forest. The yellow trail connects this parcel to the Silica Mine Hill trails. Find parking at Christian Street for a 4- to 5-mile hike.
Other Suggested Hikes

Lake Lillinonah: From the Bridgewater Town Park, travel south on the blue trail to marker 152, take the yellow trail to blue marker 156, travel north to the Bridgewater Town Park for a 2-mile hike.

Big Hike: For a 9-mile outing from the Bridgewater Town Park, travel south on the blue trail to the red trail at marker 300. Take the red trail to the blue trail, marker 122. Travel north on the blue trail to the red trail, marker 137. Take the red trail to the blue trail, marker 145. Travel north on the blue trail to the Bridgewater Town Park.

Wewaka Brook: The trails at Wewaka Brook travel through grasslands, upland hardwood forests, down to red maple swamps with three miles of hiking trails located on Hut Hill Road and Keeler Road.
Contact The Nature Conservancy’s Connecticut office 860-355-3716 or lshail@tnc.org with questions or concerns.

Celebrating 50 Years at Sunny Valley

In 2023, The Nature Conservancy celebrated 50 years of working at the Sunny Valley Preserve: In 1973, the land officially came into TNC's care so that it would be protected while supporting sustainable farming and education.

From the start, this unique conservation project, spanning New Milford and Bridgewater, focused on the idea that protecting the planet and feeding its growing population could go hand-in-hand. In response, its 450 acres of working farmland are managed alongside 1,450 acres of natural areas with over 18 miles of hiking trails for the public.

“Sunny Valley has certainly evolved over the decades, but the heart and soul of this work has remained the same: to protect the land and all of its wildlife and vegetation while nourishing local communities through farming methods that work with the land, rather than just making use of it,” says Wayne Woodard, TNC's Sunny Valley preserve director.

At Sunny Valley, TNC continues to carry out the science-based conservation vision of George Pratt, Jr., who donated the land. His father purchased Sunny Valley Farm in 1934, and Pratt went on to protect more than a dozen separate pieces of open or wooded lands in the area from developers. In 1973, he donated them to TNC. Over time, after significant capital improvements, four primary farms were established on the parcel and leased to farmers. The result is one of Connecticut’s most exceptional protected spaces, teeming with educational opportunities, diverse plants and animals, a strong sense of community and working farms.

Sustainable farming methods aren’t just a Connecticut conversation; they’re a global concern, given farming’s connections to greenhouse gases and climate change.

“We’re proud that Sunny Valley is an example of land preservation, and also of the long-term positive impact that sustainable agriculture can have on the environment,” adds Laura Shail, TNC's office administrator for Sunny Valley. “So many people of all ages across our state have had the chance to hear about that work, while also learning about the natural habitats that are supported here. We look forward to the next 50 years and beyond.”

Zach Duda Zach Duda is the director of The Nature Conservancy's Sunny Valley Preserve in Connecticut. © Courtesy/Zach Duda

October 2026

Meet the Sunny Vally Preserve's New Director

Zach Duda assumed his role at The Nature Conservancy's Sunny Vally preserve director following the retirement of Wayne Woodard, who served in the role for 35 years.

Did you always hope to do this kind of work?
I grew up around agriculture because my family has a farm in Vermont, though for a long time I didn’t think I wanted to be involved. But I ended up in my high school’s agri-science program and Future Farmers of America, and we had to have a supervised agricultural experience. So I worked on a farm, and it changed the direction of my life.

What was so memorable about that summer?
I was probably 15 or 16, and I met Wayne Woodard (now retired Sunny Valley Preserve director) because I worked at Sunny Valley’s main farm. He told me what he did and about The Nature Conservancy. I remember saying, “I would love to have Wayne’s job.” I knew Wayne would be around for a while, so the question became: What do I do in the meantime to prepare myself for something like that? Fortunately, sometimes life works out!

Where did that question take you?
I went to UConn, where I became interested in agricultural advocacy and discovered the concept of regenerative agriculture. It helped me understand nature and agriculture aren’t separate things. They’re part of the same system, even though we often treat them as separate. That realization drove a lot of my own learning about regenerative agriculture, soil and sustainable plant and soil systems.

Where did you head after college?
I managed an educational farm and center in Connecticut. Suddenly I was working with everything from maple syrup, cows and pigs to mushrooms while managing staff, budgets, grants and volunteers. Living in Ireland had also been a dream of mine, and I was able to continue my education there to learn about sustainable agriculture and rural development. Agriculture is ultimately a social enterprise. You can have all the technical knowledge in the world, but if you don’t understand people, the rest doesn’t matter very much. One project focused on agritourism in the Scottish Highlands. Here I was working alongside people from Ireland, Indonesia and Brazil, all bringing knowledge from completely different lives and trying to put it together.

What brought you back to Connecticut?
I’m from Bethlehem, and I’ve stayed connected to Connecticut agriculture and FFA throughout my career. After returning, I had opportunities to work in agricultural education, including teaching agricultural mechanics.

What are you most excited to bring to your role as preserve director?
I’m excited to bring together everything I’ve learned about agriculture, conservation and working with people, and some ideas I encountered overseas. I’d love to foster even more connection with the community, keep farmers farming, and show young people what Sunny Valley and agriculture are all about. It changed my life, and you never know when that could happen for someone else.

And when you’re not thinking about preserves, agriculture or soil?
There’s Maple, my dog. She’s a shepherd-husky mix, and her name actually comes from a winter when I was boiling maple sap. So I guess even my dog has an agricultural connection!