The Book of Trails - Foreword

The “Book of Trails V,” is no longer a book in the traditional sense. It is a series of pages knit together by a common desire to invite you to discover the open lands of Redding, Connecticut. It is a compendium of our town’s natural treasures-of its rocks and ridges, forests and fields, and of the paths you may follow to find them.

Some thirty sanctuaries and natural areas are described here, many with accompanying maps. Most are under the management of the Redding Conservation Commission and the Redding Land Trust, though lands of The Nature Conservancy, Connecticut Audubon Society and the Conservation Land Committee (CLC) of the new Centennial Watershed State Forest are represented as well. As are some properties in adjacent towns, including the new Stephenson Preserve.

In addition to the descriptions of the trails, you can also explore the story of how many of these open spaces came to be protected in the first place. For those who travel our woodland trails today, often far from the sights and sounds of human settlement, it may add a measure of appreciation to know that over fifty years ago, Redding owned but 1.2 acres of permanent open space. Getting that little triangle of green to grow wasn’t easy, but now, through the efforts of so many supporters and donors and lovers of the land, the Town is deeply committed to preserving the green remaining, and the Redding Land Trust looks forward to continuing to be a leader in the Town’s commitment to our beautiful spaces.

So go now, light and softly, into the lands of Redding. Get to know them. Hear what the wind has to say to the treetops. Learn what the earth might be telling the sky. These moments could fill up your life ❧