Connecticut State Forests - Seedling Letterbox Series Clues for Nassahegon State Forest
|
|
Nassahegon State Forest - |
 |
The letterbox in Nassahegon State Forest is currently unavailable due to active logging activity nearby. The clues have been removed and will be restored when the letterbox is available.
Nassahegon State Forest, located entirely in the town of Burlington, is approximately 1,352 acres. This forest was originally designated in 1926 to protect the watershed for the state fish hatchery, now called the Burlington Trout Hatchery. Nassahegon State Forest was considered part of Nepaug State Forest until 1942.
The forest is a major part of what gives Burlington its attractive rural character. Nassahegon is actively managed for forest products, wildlife habitat and a variety of recreational activities, including hunting, hiking and birdwatching. For example, it contains miles of Blue-blazed Trails. Besides these benefits, available to all who visit the State Forest, the forest continues to provide a protective buffer for Belden Brook, its tributaries and associated springs. These are the water sources for the state fish hatchery, which remains as an important area landmark.
The Burlington Trout Hatchery provides fishing stock for close to 360 different water bodies, including everything west of the Connecticut River. It is one of two fish hatcheries run by DEEP, with the other being in the Quinebaug Hatchery Ponds in Plainfield. The Burlington hatchery produces hundreds of thousands of fish annually—in the most recent season, the hatchery yielded approximately 200,000 adult fish, 400,000 fry, and 29,000 fingerlings, totaling over 100,000 pounds! Brown trout, brook trout, rainbow trout, tiger trout and Kokanee salmon are all reared at the facility. The hatchery was established in 1925 and, 80 years later, is still serving the state. It runs on a gravity water system, which means there are no electrical costs for water pumping.
Learn More, Earn a Patch: Your walk has led you through a working forest, and introduced you to many of the conifers found in Connecticut forests. Although you may not have been aware of it, you are also witnessing how a healthy forest creates a great buffer and “filter” for improved water quality downstream—in this case, for Belden Brook and its tributaries and associated springs.
To learn more about the Burlington Trout Hatchery, consider making a stop while you are in the area. The hatchery is open to the public from 8:00 am to 3:30 pm daily for self-guided tours. For more information on the hatchery and its fish, call 860-673-2340. Directions to the Burlington Trout Hatchery.
This is one of 32 letterbox hikes in the new, second series of boxes, called the “Seedling Series”, sponsored by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Division of Forestry. Take 4 additional sponsored letterbox hikes to earn a commemorative Connecticut Forestry Centennial patch.
When you have completed the five hikes, please contact us and let us know what sites you have visited, what your stamp looks like and how we may send you your patch. We will verify your visits and send the patch along to you. Contact DEEP Forestry
Content last updated on January 6, 2020