The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor is a federally designated

National Heritage Corridor In the United States, a National Heritage Area (NHA) is a site designated by Act of Congress, intended to encourage historic preservation of the area and an appreciation of the history and heritage of the site. There are currently 62 NHAs, some ...

in northeastern

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 ...

and portions of

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. It has a rural character with rolling hills, farmland and classic

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

scenery. This area was designated because it is one of the last remaining stretches of green in the

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

heavily urbanized corridor. The valley also has the largest stretch of dark night sky in the

Northeast megalopolis The Northeast megalopolis, also known as the Northeast Corridor, Acela Corridor, Boston–Washington corridor, or BosWash, is the world's largest megalopolis in terms of economic output and the second most populous megalopolis in the United St ...

corridor. It contains some of the largest unbroken forests in Southern New England, in a region of Connecticut known as the

Quiet Corner Northeastern Connecticut, better known as the Quiet Corner, is a historic region of the state of Connecticut, located in the northeastern corner of the state. It is generally associated with Windham County, but also sometimes incorporates easte ...

Geography

The corridor consists mostly of the Eastern New England Upland, transitioning to the coastal forests to the south and east. The rolling hills in the southern part of the Corridor become more rugged in the northern part of the corridor. The highest elevation is Burley Hill in

Union, CT Union is a town located in the northeastern part of Tolland County, Connecticut, United States and is part of the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor. The population was 785 at the 2020 census, making it the least ...

. The corridor has a high concentration of state parks, state forests and other reserves, such as the

Yale-Myers Forest The Yale-Myers Forest is a 7,800-acre (32 km2) forest in Northeastern Connecticut owned by Yale University and administered by the Yale School of the Environment. Located in the towns of Union, Ashford, Eastford, and Woodstock, the forest ...

, Pachaug State Forest, and the Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary. Of the area's over 700,000 acres, over 77% is made up of forest and farms. The 35-town region is home to over 300,000 people. The Last Green Valley is half the size of Grand Canyon National Park and more than ten times that of

Acadia National Park Acadia National Park is an American national park located along the mid-section of the Maine coast, southwest of Bar Harbor. The park preserves about half of Mount Desert Island, part of the Isle au Haut, the tip of the Schoodic Peninsula, and ...

, New England's only national park. The over 1,100 square miles of protected territory extend from the northernmost point of

East Brookfield, Massachusetts East Brookfield is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 2,224 at the 2020 United States Census. The census-designated place of East Brookfield (CDP) is located in the town. The village of Union Chapel is ...

to the southernmost point of

Preston, Connecticut Preston is a New England town, town in New London County, Connecticut, New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 4,788 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The town includes the villages of Long Society, Preston Ci ...

History

Beginning in the 1980s, developmental pressures pushed citizens into creating organizations to protect lands, especially farmland from development. A report in 1988 by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

outlined solutions and it led to the creation of the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor in 1994. It was expanded in 1999 to include several communities in Massachusetts. In December 2014, Congress passed a law officially renaming the area the Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor. Autumn at Roseland Park, Woodstock Connecticut

Autumn at Roseland Park, Woodstock Connecticut

Boston Hollow Boston Hollow is a deep ravine in Ashford, Connecticut. It is a unique location in several ways. In geological terms it is an ancient fault in the Central Maine Terrane of the eastern highlands of Connecticut. More specifically, it lays within the ...

Bigelow Hollow State Park Bigelow Hollow State Park is public recreation area in the town of Union, Connecticut, in the Quinebaug Highlands. The state park's border Nipmuck State Forest on the east and west and Mashapaug Lake on the north. The park and forest are loc ...

* Chelsea Harbor, historic downtown Norwich, Connecticut * Historic Norwichtown Green * Leffingwell House Museum * Pachaug-Great Meadow Swamp
Uncas Leap Heritage Area
Norwich, Connecticut

Recreation

Air Line State Park Trail The Air Line State Park Trail is a rail trail and linear state park located in Connecticut. The trail is divided into sections designated South (25 miles: East Hampton to Windham), North (21 miles: Windham to Putnam) a piece of the East Coa ...

* Beaver Brook State Park, Windham, Connecticut *

, Union, Connecticut * Brimfield State Forest, Brimfield, Massachusetts *

Buffumville Lake Buffumville Lake is a , capacity United States Army Corps of Engineers flood control lake project located in Charlton, Massachusetts. The lake and surrounding grounds are open to the public for hiking, boating, fishing, and hunting. A 27-hole fris ...

, Oxford, Massachusetts * East Brimfield Lake, Sturbridge, Massachusetts * James L. Goodwin State Forest, Hampton, Connecticut *

Hodges Village Dam Hodges Village Dam, a United States Army Corps of Engineers flood control project on the French River (Massachusetts) in Oxford, Massachusetts was built in 1959 as a response to the 1936 floods which took lives and caused tremendous property damage ...

, Oxford, Massachusetts *

Hopeville Pond State Park Hopeville Pond State Park is a public recreation area located on Hopeville Pond, an impoundment of the Pachaug River, in the town of Griswold, Connecticut. A portion of the state park occupies the site of the lost village of Hopeville. The ...

, Griswold, Connecticut * Killingly Pond State Park, Killingly, Connecticut * Mansfield Hollow Lake, Mansfield, Connecticut * Mansfield Hollow State Park, Mansfield, Connecticut *

Mashamoquet Brook State Park Mashamoquet Brook State Park ( ) is a public recreation area in the town of Pomfret, Connecticut. Notable features of the state park include the Wolf Den national historic site, the Brayton Grist Mill, and the Table Rock and Indian Chair natur ...

, Abington, Connecticut
Mohegan Park
Norwich, Connecticut * Mohegan State Forest, Scotland, Connecticut * Mooween State Park, Lebanon, Connecticut * Mountain Laurel Sanctuary, Union, Connecticut *

Natchaug State Forest Natchaug State Forest is a Connecticut state forest located in six towns including Ashford, Chaplin, and Eastford. The Natchaug River runs from north to south along (and in a few cases through) the western border of the main forest parcel. Jam ...

, Eastford, Connecticut *

Nathan Hale State Forest Nathan Hale State Forest is a Connecticut state forest encompassing in the New England town, towns of Coventry, Connecticut, Coventry and Andover, Connecticut, Andover. The forest is managed to sustain a reliable source of forest products and re ...

, Coventry, Connecticut * Nipmuck State Forest, Union, Connecticut * Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary, Wales/Holland, Massachusetts
Norwich (Chelsea) Harbor Water Trail
Norwich, Connecticut *

Old Furnace State Park Old Furnace State Park is a public recreation area adjacent to Ross Pond State Park in the town of Killingly, Connecticut. The state parks covers , sits at an elevation of , and is open year-round for hiking, hunting, and fishing. It is located ...

, Killingly, Connecticut * Pachaug State Forest, Sterling, Voluntown, Griswold and Plainfield, Connecticut * Pomeroy State Park, Lebanon, Connecticut * Quaddick State Park, Thompson, Connecticut * Quinebaug Lake State Park, Killingly, Connecticut * Ross Pond State Park, Killingly, Connecticut * Streeter Point Recreation Area, Sturbridge, Massachusetts *

, Union, Connecticut * Wells State Park, Sturbridge, Massachusetts * West Thompson Lake, Thompson, Connecticut * Westville Lake, Sturbridge, Massachusetts

References

External links

* Official site
The Last Green Valley, Inc
* Tourism site
The Last Green Valley Tourism
{{Authority control Geography of Hampden County, Massachusetts Geography of New London County, Connecticut Geography of Tolland County, Connecticut Geography of Windham County, Connecticut Geography of Worcester County, Massachusetts Tourist attractions in Hampden County, Massachusetts Tourist attractions in New London County, Connecticut Tourist attractions in Tolland County, Connecticut Tourist attractions in Windham County, Connecticut Tourist attractions in Worcester County, Massachusetts National Heritage Areas of the United States