2021-7-21, Oakes Preserve, Avon, CT

 Someone on the Avon Land Trust Facebook page has been posting notices that they have been doing some clearing at Oakes Preserve, an Avon Land Trust property.  I visited Oakes Preserve on 2021-7-21.  The preserve is accessed from an extension of Chidsey Road that looks like a driveway.  I made an interactive map with location numbers that I'll refer to.  Here's a link to the interactive map: https://arcg.is/0TXrKW .  Here's a static screenshot of the interactive map.



Here's another screenshot of the interactive map which shows how you drive in to Oaks Preserve from Waterville Road, CT-10.




1.  This photo shows the parking area with the gazebo that was installed by Avon Land Trust.


1.  A sign on the gazebo.  The QR code takes you to http://avonlandtrust.org/ .  There you can find a map of Oakes Preserve which suggests that, a one time, there was more trail length that I was able to find on 2021-7-21.  



Here's the Avon Land Trust Oakes Preserve map:



1.  A view of a pond from the Gazebo.



1.  A view of the pond from near the gazebo.


2.  A wide mown path follows a stream that runs into the pond.  (No picture.)

3.  The southern end of the wide path.



4.  An uncleared path leads towards Reverknolls, a residential road.

5.  A path with red blazes has a few fallen trees blocking the path.


6.  A view of the pond from near the red-blazed trail.  You can see a bird house on the tree trunk in the foreground.


7.  There were a few pitch pines along the red-blazed trail.  Note that the bark is broken into roughly rectangular blocks and that the needles are in clumps of three needles.  Some people suggest that pitch pines are endangered.


8.  The Avon Land Trust map suggests that the red trail once continued from here and allowed hikers to circle the pond.  


9.  The Avon Land Trust map suggests that the red trail once continued from here to the north end of a body of water that seems to be sometimes connected with the pond.










David Reik

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