2021-11-21, West District Nature Preserve and Vincent H. Core Memorial, Farmington, CT

 On 2021-11-21, I walked from the West District Nature Preserve (owned by the Farmington Land Trust) to the Vincent H. Core Memorial and back.  I'll put in an annotated screenshot to show where the pictures below were taken.  I used hiking.waymarkedtrails.org as my base map.


I sent this blog post to the Farmington Land Trust on 2021-11-22.  I got this prompt reply from Interim Executive Director Cate Grady-Benson

Hi David,

Thank you for sending your blog to us.  So glad you had a wonderful walk in the woods.  I am not sure you are aware that the West District Nature Preserve is a closed property only open when we have events.  Also, we are renovating the Bushley farmhouse and the barn to be our office/education center.  We are in the process of a capital campaign to raise funds for the renovation.   Would you please take the post down as we would not want someone to be injured if they are walking around the barn/house. Also, the Nature Preserve is not open at this time.  We do have programs in the works for the property so check out our web site as we move forward with our planning.  If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out. 

Thank you

Cate Grady-Benson

 Executive Director

Farmington Land Trust, Inc.

128 Garden Street

Farmington, CT 06032

860-674-8545

Here is my reply:

Dear Cate Grady-Benson:

Oh, sorry!  I had read all about the renovation project in the latest newsletter.  I saw that West District Nature Preserve was Diane Tucker's favorite place to go.  I didn't realize it was somewhere I was not supposed to go.  I have put your message in my post so that people will see that, although the property looks inviting from the road, Farrmington Land Trust doesn't want people to visit this property.

David Reik, Farmington, CT

I got this response 

Hi David,

Could you just take the post down?  I would prefer people don't get the impression they can go there.

Cate Grady-Benson

Interim Executive Director

Farmington Land Trust, Inc.

128 Garden Street

Farmington, CT 06032

860-674-8545

I replied with this message:

Dear Cate Grady-Benson:  You have no signage at the site indicating that the preserve is closed to the public.  In fact, there are "Farmington Land Trust" signs posted along the road which I take to be invitations to tour the property.  There is no temporary fencing around the structures discouraging people from getting near the structures.  Farmington Land Trust is a not-for-profit and has no business owning land that the public is not welcome to enjoy.  Are you suggesting that Diane Tucker can enjoy the property, but not me, or other members of the public?  In the most-recent newsletter, I saw lots of text about the Wilcox-Bushley Homestead and the West District Preserve, but nothing suggesting the preserve was closed to the public.  I am confused.  I think this is a matter that should be put before the board of directors.  Here's the link to my amended blog post: https://davidreikphotos.blogspot.com/2021/11/2021-11-21-west-district-nature.html

David Reik, Farmington, CT

I got this reply:

Dear David,

We are sorry for the confusion. We are a private not-for-profit and have received donations of land from conservation minded residents of Farmington since 1971.  We currently have 4 trails open to the public which you can learn more about at https://www.farmingtonlandtrust.org/hike-trails. The FLT is in the process of developing an access and trail plan for the West District Nature Preserve property, as part of our strategic plan for the homestead and property. Mary Bushley, the donor, left the homestead to us and upon her death we made the decision to renovate the house and adjacent barn to become our office and an outdoor learning space.  The plan will meld public access with the need to preserve delicate habitats on the site. Until that plan is complete and implemented, we don't have the capability to welcome a large audience to the site.  So until we have completed the renovation the property is not open to the public except when the FLT hosts a hike or program.  Thank you for your work highlighting the natural spaces throughout CT.  Please let me know if you have any questions. 

Here is the material from the Fall, 2021, Farmington Land Trust newsletter that I referred to.

An Insider’s Guide to the Best of the Land Trust’s Walks

If you ever thought about taking a hike on a Farmington Land Trust property, you might wonder about what might be the best place to go. As is often the case, you might want to ask the experts. In this case, the members of the Board of Directors of the Farmington Land Trust. They’ve been just about everywhere on our properties. They can tell you, perhaps better than anyone, where the going is good. But as to exactly where that might be, well, it depends who you ask. So, we asked. Here are some of our board members’ favorite spots: My favorite Land Trust place to visit is the Nancy Conklin Trail on the Cowles Parcel. Walking along the trail, the one meadow surrounded by trees with the Pequabuck River hugging the land allows me to escape the worries of the day and clear the mind. — Cate Grady-Benson

So, I am going to say that my favorite place is at the West District Nature Preserve near the pond where in spring you can find Lady Slippers and Spring ephemerals (left side as you face the pond after you cross the little stream.) From there, it is a short walk to the vernal pools, where there are uncommon turtles. I haven’t searched that area thoroughly for salamanders yet, but they are certainly there and are also big favorites of mine! — Diane Tucker

1.  Where I parked, at the Wilcox-Bushley Homestead, owned by the Farmington Land Trust.

3.  On a new white-blazed trail in West District Nature Preserve.



2.  By a pond in West District Nature Preserve.  The plant with the red berries is winterberry holly, I think.  The shrub on the right I think is Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis).



2.  A close-up of Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis).



Between 2 and 3.  A nice bog bridge on the white trail.



Between 3 and 4.  I bushwhacked southerly from the white trail to Town of Farmington trails.  I saw 
some witch-hazel still in bloom and displaying opened seedpods from last year's flowers.



5.  A nice new bog bridge on a Town of Farmington trail.



6.  On a wet section of a Town of Farmington trail.  These two logs served as a bog bridge.



7.  Vincent Hugh Core died near here in April of 1945.  He was a U.S. Army Air Corps pilot whose plane crashed.  In a 2018 blog post, I put together more information about the crash: https://davidreikandjudithlohmanpictures.blogspot.com/2018/02/2018-2-9-farmington-memorial-forest.html



7.



8.  Another new bog bridge on a Town of Farmington Trail.



9. There are quite a few white birches along the Town of Farmington trails. 



Near 4, on my bushwhack to West District Nature Preserve.  I think this is northern highbush blueberry, (Vaccinium corymbosum)



4.  A ford on a small stream on my bushwhack.



Between 2 and 3 on the white trail.  I think this is winged euonymus (Euonymus alatus), also known as burning bush, an invasive.   Note the opposite leaves and the wing-like protrusions on the branch.



1.  This building, part of the Wilcox-Bushley Homestead, seemed to be beyond repair.




1.  I don't know if the Wilcox-Bushley Homestead can be made useable.



1.

















David Reik

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