Northwest Park
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Northwest Park From its beginning in 1972, much of what once was tobacco farmland has been reclaimed into biologically diverse forests and fields embedded with streams and many pristine views. Ten different walking trails wind through the Park. Trails include and Sensory Saunter (under development) and a Braille trail. Self-guiding maps are available at the Nature Center. Monarch Meadow is a 12.500 square foot butterfly garden with over 100 “nectaring” and host plants. A fully accessible trail winds through this colorful meadow. Northwest Park showcases wildlife management areas that are planted and managed for a variety of native species. Northwest Park is designed as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by the National Audubon Society. A variety of upland, grassland and wetlands species are found within the Park. Over 60-acres of grasslands are managed for the Grasshopper Sparrow-a Species of Special Concern in Connecticut. The Park also showcases a nature center with hands-on exhibits, a living animal farm with agricultural exhibits, a tobacco cultural museum with exhibits, a tobacco archive with historical information, a picnic pavilion, a maple sugar house, a playground, a warming shed. These facilities are used throughout the year for a variety of public and school-related environmental and agricultural education programs. |