Day 23: Brooke Preserve & Kolstad Woods Preserve

44 Acres of managed woodlands in southeast Cheshire, with 1 mile of blazed hiking trail.

Brooke Preserve
Size: 40.06 acres

Nearest Road: Sperry Road

Acquisition: May & December 2005

Donor: Elizabeth Brooke Carpenter

Kolstad Woods
Size: 4 acres

Nearest Road: Coleman Road

Acquisition: November 2014

Donors: Dr. Leonard & Karen Kolstad

CLT's adjoining Brooke Preserve and Kolstad Woods are a 44-acre woodland preserve in southeast Cheshire, laying between Sperry Road, Cook Hill Road, and Coleman Road.  

Elizabeth Carpenter resided with her family on 45 acres of hilly forested property that included what is now the Brooke Preserve.  The property was acquired over time by her father and had served as a summer retreat for her family beginning in the 1920s. She hoped to see it preserved as she had always known the land to be... wild and little changed by the imprint of man. The family managed the land for wildlife habitat and timber, with the most recent forest thinning occurring about 20 years ago.  Mrs. Carpenter's wish was fulfilled when CLT Acquired 40 acres in 2005.

Nine years later, in 2014, Dr. Leonard and Karen Kolstad donated an adjacent 4 acres of woodlands to the Cheshire Land Trust, creating Kolstad Woods, and enlarging the overall protected land to 44 acres.

The properties are open to the public.  Look for a small parking area and a sign along the east side of Sperry Road, about 1/4 mile north of Cook Hill Road.  The property's blue-blazed trails loops around the entire preserve, and offers views into Kolstad Woods.  Portions of the trails are a little steep, so please use caution.

Much more about both of these great CLT properties, including a detailed hiking trail map, is on the CLT website's Brooke Preserve & Kolstad Woods page.


Do you live next to or near the Brooksvale Preserve?  Have you ever passed it on the Linear Trail?  Tell us about what you've seen on this land!  Please join the Cheshire Land Trust at www.cheshirelandtrust.org to help us protect and maintain this and other great open space properties around Cheshire.  

Day 22: Giddings Farm Easement

Working farm property in southeast Cheshire along Boulder Road; adjacent to Boulder Knoll Farm and part of Cheshire's east side greenbelt.

Size: 16.0 acres

Nearest Road: Boulder Road

Public Access: No

Acquisition: December 2003

Donors: Anne & Robert Giddings

In 2006, Anne and Bob Giddings completed the process of placing most of their farm acreage under a conservation easement in favor of the Cheshire Land Trust.  Among other local accomplishments, Anne Giddings was a former CLT Board Member.  A total of 16 acres are protected.

The property is located near Boulder Road in southeast Cheshire, in between the Town-owned Boulder Knoll Farm and the Cheshire-Wallingford town line.  The Giddings house and farm buildings (not part of the easement) lie between the conserved land and Boulder Road.

Much of the acreage is farm field. It also contains a wooded area through which a small stream flows down a secluded gorge.

The farm is still actively managed, and is strategically important in the CLT's goals of preserving Cheshire farms. In addition to tending to his own farm, Bob Giddings has become active in "Friends of Boulder Knoll", a group of concerned citizens interested in continuing farming on Boulder Knoll Farm. Together, Boulder Knoll and the Giddings' Farm are both part of a large, long range goal of a preserved east Cheshire greenbelt.

Much more about this property is on the CLT website’s Giddings Farm page. The Giddings Farm Easement is not open to the public.  There are periodic public events held on the next-door Boulder Knoll Farm. 

Do you live next to or near the Giddings Farm Easement?  Tell us about what you've seen on this land!  Please join the Cheshire Land Trust at www.cheshirelandtrust.org to help us protect and maintain this and other great open space properties around Cheshire.  

Day 21: Seymour and Emma Pelz Farm Preserve

Hay fields with scenic westward views from Cheshire Street, and Quinnipiac River frontage, in northeast Cheshire.  

Size: 13.1 acres

Nearest Road: Sylvan Lane

Public Access: Yes

Acquisition: August 2001

Donor: Emma Pelz

Emma “Lee” Pelz had several choices to make when considering the future of her land, including selling it for development.  Her choice, a very generous one, was to give it to the Cheshire Land Trust.

On September 6, 2001, Pelz donated a 13.1-acre parcel (excluding her house and three acres) to the CLT as the “Seymour and Emma Pelz Farm Preserve”.  As part of the condition of the gift, she stipulated that the property retain its agricultural character with limited use of chemicals and pesticides. Retention of the property’s agricultural appearance and westward views are emphasized in the gifting documents.

View of Pelz Farm Preserve, September 2016

The property is on the west side of Cheshire Street, bordered to the west by the Quinnipiac River and to the south by CLT’s Ives Farm.  Pelz’s former house to the north is a private residence.  The majority of the property is open field, except for a wooded riparian buffer that runs along the Quinnipiac River, and narrow treelines along Cheshire Street and the Ives Farm boundary.  There is a small spring-fed pond on the property that has been very dry for the past few years.  During wet times, the pond has supported freshwater mussels.

Haying on Pelz Farm Preserve - early summer 2016

Maps and documents in the CLT archives suggest that the Pelz property has been continuously farmed since at least the early 20^th Century.  Based on the known history of the adjacent Ives Farm and similar site conditions, it is possible, if not likely, that the Pelz Farm has been in some level of active agriculture since at least the mid-1800s. The Pelz Farm Preserve is currently managed for hay.

Mrs. Pelz preserved her land and provided an enduring legacy for the Pelz family. At the time of the donation, Mrs. Pelz said or her husband: “Sy loved this property and wanted it to stay the same. I wanted to honor his wishes. And for me it has been a very satisfying process because now I know the land will be taken care of.”

The Seymour and Emma Pelz Farm Preserve is not currently open to the public, but provides terrific westward views from Cheshire Street.  More about this property is on the CLT website’s Pelz Farm Preserve page.

Do you live next to or near the Seymour and Emma Pelz Farm Preserve?  Have you ever passed it on Cheshire Street or seen it in the distance from Ives Farm?  Tell us about what you've seen on this land!  Please join the Cheshire Land Trust at www.cheshirelandtrust.org to help us protect and maintain this and other great open space properties around Cheshire. 

Day 20: Old Farms Preserve

Wildlife and bird sanctuary; woods and meadow on traprock uplift, in southeast Cheshire.

Size: 6.3 acres

Nearest Road: Old Farms Road

Public Access: Yes

Acquisition: December 1998

Donor: Barbara Consolo, James Krieg, and Robert Roth

The Old Farms Preserve was donated to the Cheshire Land Trust by three adjacent landowners on Old Farms Road that wished to see the land preserved rather than developed as housing.  They purchased three undeveloped subdivision lots totaling six acres, and gave the land to CLT in December 1998.

Located in the far southeast corner of Cheshire, Old Farms Preserve is just north of the Old Lane Road / Old Farms Road intersection.  The preserve is bordered to the north and south by residential properties, to the east by Old Farms Road, and to the west by the Town of Cheshire's large (200+/- acre) Dedominicis Property.

A mixture of woods and meadow-like conditions cover the property.  The forested areas contains relatively young and small trees.  This is due to the area having been disturbed by farming and then subsequently for subdivision development, along with shallow and rocky soils that prevent vigorous tree growth.  There are also a few small wet patches.  The western portion of the preserve slopes down sharply towards the Dedominicis Property, where the soils get better and the trees larger.

Mix of forested and meadow habitat - Old Farms Preserve

Running though the center of the preserve is a large powerline.  Eversource Energy's transmission line maintenance program periodically performs tree and shrub cutting to make sure the vegetation does not interfere with the powerlines.  This work also has the effect of maintaining the area as shrub and meadow habitat.  Having this and other small open areas right next to large preserved forested areas is particularly beneficial to many wildlife species such as raptors.  The "interface" between the two areas is called "edge habitat".  If three different habitat types come together, the intersection point is called a "covert".  Coverts are considered quite valuable for a wide range of wildlife diversity.

A sign announcing the Old Farms Preserve was installed by local boy scouts in 2015.  A lightly-marked trail winds from Old Farms Road, along the power lines, and then down the hill, connecting up with trails on the Dedominicis Property.  

Old Farms Preserve is open to the public.  Look for the sign along the west side of Old Farms Road, just north of Old Lane Road.  

Do you live next to or near the Old Farms Preserve or the adjacent Town open space?  Have you ever hike the trails in the area?  Tell us about what you've seen on this land!  Please join the Cheshire Land Trust at www.cheshirelandtrust.org to help us protect and maintain this and other great open space properties around Cheshire.  

For more information about the Town of Cheshire's Dedominicis Property, and a trails maps, see the Town of Cheshire Open Space webpage. (Note: CLT is not affiliated with the Town or its open space program.)

Day 19: Brooksvale Farm Preserve & McKee/Lewis Easements

Historic farmstead, fields, and nearby stone bridge, located in the eponymous "Brooksvale" section of southwest Cheshire.

Nearest Roads:

South Brooksvale Road 
& Mount Sanford Road
Public Access: No

Donated in five parts

Size: 20.6 acres
Acquisition: Dec 1992

Donors: Betty Lewis, Jean McKee, and Gordon Thayer

Size: 12.45 acres
Acquisition: Dec 1995
Donor: Betty Lewis

Size: 11.92 acres
Acquisition: Dec 1999
Donor: Jean McKee

Size: 2.86 acres
Acquisition: Dec 2002
Donor: Jean McKee & Betty Lewis

CLT's Brooksvale Farm Preserve & McKee/Lewis Easements preserve approximately 48 acres of the oldest family-owned and continuously farmed property in Connecticut.  An excellent writeup describing the properties and how CLT became involved with them is on the CLT website's Brooksvale page.


The properties are on South Brooksvale Road, just west of the Linear Park, and at the corner of South Brooksvale Road and Mount Sanford Road.  CLT holds conservation easements over these properties; they are not open to the public.

Do you live next to or near the Brooksvale Farm Preserve and McKee/Lewis Easement?  Have you ever passed these properties and enjoyed the view over the fields to the east?  Tell us about what you've seen on this land!  Please join the Cheshire Land Trust at www.cheshirelandtrust.org to help us protect and maintain this and other great open space properties around Cheshire.  

Day 18: West Cheshire Highlands Preserve

Three wooded sanctuaries in Guinevere Ridge neighborhood, at the north end of Peck Mountain.

CLT's West Cheshire Highlands Preserve parcels are outlined
in green above.  Other open space is outlined in orange.

Size: 16.2 acres

Nearest Road: Guinevere Ridge

Public Access: Yes

Acquisition: June 1991

Donor: Pennamco, Inc.

The three properties that make up the West Cheshire Highlands Preserve were donated to CLT by Pennamco, Inc. in June 1991. Together, they contain 16.2 acres.  The neighborhood also contains open space parcels owned by the Town of Cheshire and homeowners associations, creating a somewhat complex mosaic of open space ownership within a relatively small area.

The properties are mostly wooded and contain many sloped/hillside areas, some of which are wet.  The hills containing these slopes and the surrounding homes are the northern end of Peck Mountain, an extention of Prospect Ridge that runs north from West Main Street to the vicinity of the Guinevere Ridge neighborhood.

1992 USGS map showing Peck Mountain 

Since the development of the surrounding subdivisions, these properties have become populated by growing amounts of burning bush (Euonymous alata), a very attractive, but insidious invasive species.  Euonymous will commonly "invade" an area through seed dispersal (by wind, birds, and mammals) from surrounding or nearby yards.  The concern that biologists, ecologists, foresters, and other natural resource professionals have with invasive species such as euonymous is that it will push other species out of an area, and only allow itself to grow.  The result, over time, is a loss of native species and a great decrease in biological diversity.  Animal populations, their habitats, soils, and entire forests can potentially be impacted.

Another item that CLT has encountered with these and several other of its properties is minor encroachments by neighboring property owners.  Due to new property owners, old markings, or simply the passage of time, it is sometimes possible for landowners to lose track of where their property lines are, and then leaf piles, lawns, or even swing sets can be placed on CLT land.  Monitoring for encroachments can be a time-consuming task for CLT, given the number of parcels owned.  If you are interested in helping with our stewardship efforts, please email CheshireCTLand@aol.com.

Burning Bush (from www.vtinvasives.org)

The West Cheshire Highlands parcels and other nearby open space parcels have been documented in CLT's records as containing some interesting and diverse vegetative and animal species.  Recent observations on the West Cheshire Highland parcels have noted a possible reduction in the deer population, and an increase in wildflowers, and the area will likely be surveyed in the near future to assess the heath of ash trees, which are largely being removed from Connecticut's landscape by the Emerald Ash Borer.  Other CLT properties are also being examined for this insect, and have been spotted on some CLT land.

The West Cheshire Highlands Preserve properties are open to the public, but there are no trails.  Access is somewhat limited by the configuration of property lines and house lots around the preserved parcels.  Please consult the map above or the Town of Cheshire's online GIS mapping system for details.

Do you live next to or near the West Cheshire Highlands Preserve?  Tell us about what you've seen on this land!  Please join the Cheshire Land Trust at www.cheshirelandtrust.org to help us protect and maintain this and other great open space properties around Cheshire.

Day 17: Sharon Drive Preserve

Wildlife sanctuary within large wetland complex in south Cheshire.

Ten Mile River Preserve
Size:8.9 acres

Nearest Road: Sharon Drive

Public Access: Yes

Acquisition: February 1990

Donor: Richard Fiske, Ravenswood Properties

In December 1990, Richard Fiske (with Ravenswood Properties) donated 8.9 acres to the Cheshire Land Trust, creating the Sharon Drive Preserve.

The property makes up a portion of a large wetland between Higgins Road to the north, South Main Street and North Brooksvale to the east, and Sharon Drive to the west.  Most of the non-CLT owned portion of the overall wetland system is associated with the Brookshire condominiums.

The majority of the Sharon Drive preserve is a densely vegetated wetland.  The vegetation is primarily small trees and shrubs.  The property, like a handful of CLT properties, contains a sidewalk along the Sharon Drive frontage.  CLT, as a private non-profit entity, is required to clear this sidewalk (and all its sidewalks) after snowstorms.  This  is an example of maintenance activities that CLT must undertake and one reason why CLT seeks financial support from the community.

A look at historic (1934) photos of the property shows signs of old channeling within the wetland.  This may have been done in an attempt to drain at least a portion of the land. While the land within the Sharon Drive Preserve itself has not substantially changed over the past 75 years, there are many notable changes around it.  In particular, the land that currently holds the Cheshire Shopping Center and other businesses between South Main Street and North Brooksvale Road was largely wet in the early 1930s. (Higgins Road is at the top of the photo, South Main Street and North Brooksvale are on the right.)

The Sharon Drive Preserve is one of three CLT properties that overlay the South Cheshire Aquifer (the others are Fresh Meadows and Brooke Memorial Preserve).  This is one of two large areas within Cheshire that contain soils and geology that act like underground drinking water reservoirs for the town.  The Regional Water Authority operates wellfields within each aquifer that pull the water from the ground, and distribute it to the businesses and homes of Cheshire that are tied to public water.  More information about the aquifers is available on the CLT website, and through the websites of the Town of Cheshire's and the Regional Water Authority via a basic web search.

The Sharon Drive Preserve is open to the public, but there are no formal trails.  Because of this, and the wetness of the property, we recommend appreciating it and observing wildlife from along Sharon Drive and North Brooksvale Road.

Do you live or work next to or near the Sharon Drive Preserve?  Tell us about what you've seen on this land!  Please join the Cheshire Land Trust at www.cheshirelandtrust.org to help us protect and maintain this and other great open space properties around Cheshire.

More about the CLT's wetlands preservation efforts are on the CLT website.