This is the seventh diary in my Expanding the National Parks series. Last week i walked in the footsteps of John Denver in Colorado, this week I'm visiting the Nutmeg State, Connecticut. Connecticut is the first East Coast state visited so far in the series,most of the states so far have been in the West.Connecticut is small, covering less than 6000 sq miles, and has very little federally protected land, along with Rhode Island, it has the least among the states, only 0.4% of Connecticut is federally owned. Connecticut has just two Wildlife Refuges and an historic site, it has no national parks monuments forests or preserves.
This is the seventh diary in my Expanding the National Parks series. Last week i walked in the footsteps of John Denver in Colorado, this week I'm visiting the Nutmeg State, Connecticut. Connecticut is the first East Coast state visited so far in the series,most of the states so far have been in the West.Connecticut is small, covering less than 6000 sq miles, and has very little federally protected land, along with Rhode Island, it has the least among the states, only 0.4% of Connecticut is federally owned. Connecticut has just two Wildlife Refuges and an historic site, it has no national parks, monuments, forests or preserves.
Connecticut
Total Area 5 543 sq miles
Land Area 4 485 sq miles
Water Area 698 sq miles
Coastline 96 sq miles
Additional monuments -2
WILDLIFE REFUGES-2
* Silvio O Conte Established 1997 Covers 31216 acres( in CT, MA, NH and VT)
Spread out across four New England states, only a small portion of the refuge-400 acres- lies within Connecticut. The Refuge was named after Massachusetts Representative Silvio Conte , who was a avid conservationist and was part of the liberal New England wing of the Republican party. the refuge preserves woodlands, tidal marshes and other areas for wildlife. since its establishment the refuge has grown as land is added. as of 2012 the refuge covers over 35300 acres, and continues to add more as land is bought. the refuge is part of the Connecticut River National Blueway, which unlike national rivers, covers not only the river but the area within its watershed as well.
* Stewart B McKinney Established 1972 Covers 950 acres
Originally called the Salt Meadow Wildlife Refuge, the refuge was renamed Connecticut Coastal in 1984 then renamed in 1987 after house Representative Stewart McKinney who was the first member of Congress to die from AIDS.
HISTORIC SITES AND OTHER NPS UNITS-1
* Weir Farm Historical Site Established 1990 Covers 60 acres
preserves the home and studio of painter J Alden Weir who painted in the Impressionist style, although originally he had great disdain for impressionism. many of his painting focus on his farms at Branchville and Windham. The Branchville farm is part of the NHS, his family still owns Windham. Weir Farm will be featured as Connecticut's contribution to the national Park Quarter collection,it will be the second quarter released in 2020.
PROPOSED MONUMENTS -2
* Connecticut Coastal
protects open land up to 10 miles inland and covers Connecticut waters out to the boundary with New York Estimated area 25000 acres
* Nathan Hale
Would preserve the site of his home, his school, the monument located in his hometown of Coventry, and the reputed sites of his execution. Estimated area 500 acres
Well Folks there it is, my latest diary is complete. Next Week i will be visiting the state of Delaware. As always, Comments, concerns and imput are welcome.