Walk a New Trail, Marvel at More Land, Find Geocaches

(Submitted by Guy Peterson of the Newtown Forest Association)

The Newtown Forest Association, Inc. will feature its Brunot Preserve during a guided walk and new trail-network dedication scheduled for 10 a.m., June 4, 2011. The association's Board of Directors will lead the walk. 

In addition to the new trails, the NFA has a lot to share related to its Brunot Preserve including the acquisition of additional land, the completion of an Eagle Scout Project and the addition of geocaches.

About the Brunot Preserve

The Brunot Preserve totals approximately 75 acres of open space which is bounded by the Newtown-Bethel town line, Plumtrees Road and Taunton Hill Road .  The initial donations by the Brunot Family in 1970 and 1976 to the NFA totaled approximately 60 acres.  Additional donations by the Justis, Southworth, Moore and Whitton families completed, until recently, the Brunot Preserve. 

The preserve includes wetlands, woodlands and three gorgeous hidden meadows along the Bethel town line. Over the years this property has been plagued by unauthorized motorized vehicles. The meadows continue to recover from these activities and we hope greater use by hikers will continue to deter the trespassers. 

The ecological diversity at the Brunot Preserve also benefits from private woodlands that abut our property in Bethel. Each habitat present at the Brunot Preserve is invaluable to enhancing this wildlife sanctuary largely hidden from outsiders.

Nine acres acquired in Newtown

During 2010 the NFA was able to add 9 more acres in Newtown in exchange for 7 acres it owned in Bethel .  The acquisition settles a border dispute that goes back over 50 years, prior to the NFA having received this gift.  The new parcel fronts on Plumtrees Road and increases the overall protected area.  We will monitor closely what happens with the adjacent land in Bethel, as it is being held for sale, to ensure our preserve is sufficiently protected.

New Yellow Perimeter Trail

New Board member, Aaron Coopersmith , spearheaded an effort to add to the existing white trail (an old farm road going through the middle of the preserve) at the Brunot Preserve with a new trail following near the preserve’s perimeter. This new trail showcases the Preserve’s diversity as it meanders from the Taunton Hill Road trail head, pastthree enormous glacial erratics and through the woods, wetlands and meadows.

Eagle Scout Project

Tom Diluoffo from Troop 270 reached out to the NFA to help identify a project that he might complete towards fulfilling his Eagle Scout Project. 

An Eagle Scout Project is intended to demonstrate youth’s skills in developing a project plan, obtaining resources and materials, managing and supervising the execution of the project and writing a report on the project which includes explaining the public benefits it yielded. 

Tom’s project was centered on adding a new trail loop (the Red Trail) in the northern section of the Brunot Preserve extending out to Plumtrees and connecting to the new Yellow Perimeter Trail. The NFA really wants to thank Tom , his family and Troop 270 for the great job they did on this project.

New Geocaches

Geocaching is a real-world outdoor treasure hunting game. Players try to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, using GPS-enabled devices and then share their experiences online. Based on the success the NFA has had with geocaches on this and other properties, the NFA asked local resident, Rob Urfer, an avid geocasher, to add several new geocashes at the Brunot Preserve.

Not only does this attract new visitors to this preserve it encourage local residents to get out and explore. Geocashing has grown rapidly now that handheld GPS devices have come down in price. 

The NFA views any activity that gets families outdoors provides a great opportunity to connect our children back to nature and get them away from the television and videogames.   

Rob added eight new geocaches at the Brunot Preserve that form a Scrabble based puzzle for visitors to solve. Geocachers have to find all of the “hidden treasures” to solve the puzzle. Given the donor’s (the Brunot’s) connection with the game of Scrabble, a like themed puzzle-cache was thought to be real crafty.

Following our guided hike Rob will share the coordinates of the “hidden treasures” with the geocashers who come. He will break the players into groups so each group has their own opportunity to be the “First-to-Find” – a highly coveted designation for the avid geocacher. 

That afternoon, Rob will officially “activate” these geocaches on the website www.geocaching.com, sharing these coordinates with the world. This is also a game that world travelers participate it. Anywhere in the world you can find local “hidden treasures.” Once a player finds a cache, he logs his visit on the www.geocaching.com website.  Players try to find as many as possible. 

The NFA gets copied on every posting of a visit made to one of the geocaches hidden on our properties. This helps the NFA watch over these properties without having to physically visit the site and people do often report problems. It's also interesting to see where some of the visitors come from. Last week a resident of Germany found one of the geocaches at our Holcombe Preserve.

June 4th Hike – 10a.m. 

We will meet before 10 a.m. at the Brunot parking area and trail head on Taunton Hill Road . We ask that visitors arrive early and bring proper footwear, clothing, sun/bug spray and something to drink.  The hike will take visitors approximately 4 miles through the new Yellow Trail and Red Trail Loops; however, visitors not wanting to go full length of the trail will be able to take the White trail back to the parking area, cutting the hike in half. 

The rain date is Sunday June 5th at 1 p.m..  Please visit our website and facebook pages for updates should the weather appear threatening.  If you can’t join us for the guided hike the Preserve is open dawn to dusk every day and even though the trail is well marked you can download a map from our website at www.newtownforestassociation.org and go to the Brunot property webpage.

ABOUT THE NEWTOWN FOREST ASSOCIATION:

The Newtown Forest Association (NFA) is supported entirely by donations and membership contributions, and along with our Board continues to grow and strengthen its mission.  Please join us in support of the visionary mission of our founders “to independently preserve and protect the open space meadows, woodlands and watersheds in Newtown ” with a donation of money or property.

We are not a town or municipal entity, and receive no direct government financial support.  We are a private landowner just like you.  The NFA is Connecticut ’s oldest private land trust and a 501(c)3 charitable not-for-profit organization. Since the NFA’s formation in 1924, the NFA now manages over 1,100 acres, through ownership and conservation easements. 

The NFA holds and protects some of the most precious landscapes Newtown has to offer, providing some of the most spectacular views of Newtown ’s landscape. They also serve to preserve our precious ecosystems for the perpetual benefit of wildlife species and visitors.  Most of you live near or regularly travel past and enjoy our properties and have a vested interest in our mission.  The property protected by the NFA can never be developed; preserving our community’s rural character forever.  Thank you for your continuing support.