National Scenic Trail Study

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National Scenic Trail Study
(Mattabesett, Metacomet, Monadnock)


The National Park Service has completed a study that may endorse the Mattabesett/Metacomet/Monadnock trail system for inclusion into the National Scenic Trail system. A few of the concerns associated with this project are inclusion of recreational pursuits (hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding), protecting the natural resources around the trail (cliffs, forests, and scenery), and connecting the Mattabesett trail to Long Island Sound. For a full description of the project, go to www.mmmtrail.org. You may also contact the project managers/chairman for input and feedback. Charles Tracey and Jamie Fosburgh work out of Boston as project managers for the National Park Service and Jim Mahoney is the chairman of the project working out of Berlin, CT.
It looks as though there are two routes being discussed as possible extensions to the Mattabesett Trail to reach Long Island Sound. The first is to follow a pre-existing trail network through Cockaponset State Forest to link to the Chatfield Trail and then create a trail extension to Hammonasset State Park. The second choice is to follow pre-existing trail networks through Cockaponset State Forest then link to the Book Hill Woods area between Deep River and Essex and follow a possible rail-trail to “The Preserve” and then create a trail extension along scenic roads to the Saybrook Point Lighthouse.
“The Preserve” is a hotly contested private land that contains 1000 acres of the state’s last coastal woodlands. It’s owner has slated the land to be developed into nearly 300 homes with a private golf course. The state and conservation organizations have been fighting to purchase the land to remain a preserve. To find more information about “The Preserve,” go to http://www.cfenv.org/preserve/index.htm.

Bryan McFarland
Copyright 2007[img][/img][img][/img]

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