Centennial Watershed State Forest is a

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

state forest A state forest or national forest is a forest that is administered or protected by some agency of a sovereign or federated state, or territory. Background The precise application of the terms vary by jurisdiction. For example: * In Australia, a ...

of more than 15,000 acres with larger parcels located in the

towns A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

of Easton, Newtown, Redding, and

Weston Weston may refer to: Places Australia * Weston, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Weston, New South Wales * Weston Creek, a residential district of Canberra * Weston Park, Canberra, a park Canada * Weston, Nova Scotia * W ...

. Dozens of other properties are strung throughout much of Southwestern part of the state. In 2002, the lands were acquired from the Aquarion Water Company by the state in partnership with

The Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in 1951, The Natu ...

. Those three entities continue to manage the property by committee. The forest was named in honor of the hundredth anniversary of the state forest system.

Recreation opportunities

Although most of the state forest acreage is off limits to the public and patrolled by Aquarion security officers, the forest offers opportunities for letterboxing, hiking on the

Aspetuck Valley Trail The Aspetuck Valley Trail is a '' Blue-Blazed'' hiking trail in the Aspetuck River Valley area of Fairfield County in the towns of Newtown, Easton and Redding Connecticut. The trail follows the Aspetuck River through Centennial Watershed Sta ...

and Saugatuck Trail, and shoreline fishing on the

Saugatuck Reservoir The Saugatuck Reservoir is a reservoir in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, that straddles the border between the towns of Redding, Connecticut, Redding, Weston, Connecticut, Weston, and Easton, Connecticut, Easton. Its completion is m ...

. Access to the forest is by permit only.

References

External links

Centennial Watershed State Forest
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Saugatuck Trail Map: Centennial Watershed State Forest
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Aspetuck Valley Trail Map: Centennial Watershed State Forest
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection {{Protected Areas of Connecticut Connecticut state forests Parks in Fairfield County, Connecticut Easton, Connecticut Newtown, Connecticut Redding, Connecticut Weston, Connecticut Protected areas established in 2002 2002 establishments in Connecticut