NOTE: The Farm Trail at the Van Vleck Farm and Nature Sanctuary is temporarily closed.
Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust is leading the fight to save open space and protect the valuable natural resources of Woodbury and surrounding County’s area towns. Incorporated as the non-profit Flanders Nature Center in 1963, Flanders became one of the first land trusts in the area ten years later, when it received its initial gift of land, the 6.5 acre Manville Kettle located in the center of Woodbury. As an organization, Flanders plays an active role identifying opportunities for preserving more land in the future.
Many of the special natural places we treasure could disappear, in coming decades, replaced by unneeded development and unchecked sprawl, if not for the work of a not-for-profit organization called a land trust. Combining the spirit of volunteerism with an appreciation of community, a land trust helps landowners protect their property for future generations to appreciate and enjoy.
As one of Connecticut’s preeminent land trusts, Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust is a leader in the region in the preservation of open space and the protection of natural resources. Flanders has also been instrumental in working closely with the Town of Woodbury to shape its open space priorities.
The conservation and stewardship of land is a gift that never ends. Each situation is different, but all property owners considering land donations to a land trust share the ability to sustain the health and vitality of our communities for years to come.
Some of the options available to those considering a donation of open space to Flanders include an outright gift of land, a “bargain sale,” or the assignment of a conservation easement, among others. Each method of donation offers different tax and monetary advantages to the donor.
Flanders can help the prospective donor to navigate the trail to land conservation. The Land Acquisition Committee will work closely with you to make sure that your goals, as well as those of Flanders Land Trust, are met.
For more information, call Executive Director, Vince LaFontan, 203-263-3711 x 13.
The Van Vleck Farm and Nature Sanctuary, located at the corner of Flanders and Church Hill Roads in Woodbury, Connecticut serves as a nature Sanctuary and the main teaching campus of Flanders (Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust), hosting a variety of educational programs drawing children, adults, families and school groups from throughout the region. With an abundance of seasonal activities such as hiking in the fall, maple sugaring in the winter, field trips in the spring, and camp in the summer, the Van Vleck Farm and Nature Sanctuary is a prominent community resource. The pastoral landscape is marked by dry-laid stone walls and many architecturally significant buildings, including an historic farmhouse, a post-and-beam studio, a new sugar house and several classic barns, most of which house the educational facilities and administrative offices of Flanders. The natural habitats of the Sanctuary, including fields, meadows, forests, wetlands, marshes, streams and ponds, support a great diversity of wildlife species.
A network of well-marked and maintained trails on the Sanctuary land are open to the public from dawn to dusk, year-round, providing exhilarating recreation, including hiking, cross-country skiing, nature study and photo and artistic opportunities.
In 1965, Flanders signed a lease with the J.H. Whittemore Corporation for the use of 686 acres of land off Route 64 in Woodbury, just a short distance south of Quassy Amusement Park. For 35 years, Flanders managed the open space property, until the organization was able to raise the funds to purchase the property that is known today as the Whittemore Sanctuary. Its extensive 8-mile trail system, open to the public, winds through a wide range of ecological habitats, including woodlands, streams, ponds and a large bog. The bog and wetlands support endangered, threatened and rare plants. The forest on the property is, historically, one of the oldest privately managed forests in Connecticut, containing planted white pine, regenerated oak and several large laurel and tulip tree stands.
Are you a bird watcher? Download a list of birds to look for at the Whittemore.
Flanders became one of the first official land trusts in the region in 1973, when it was deeded the 6.5 acre Manville Kettle property on Judson Avenue, located in a residential neighborhood of Woodbury, close to the town center. This tract was the first property held in trust by Flanders that was not part of the Van Vleck or Whittemore Sanctuary properties. The property is known as a “kettle” because geologists believe it represents the remains of a depression formed during the last ice age and filled with water from melting ice. Identified by a Flanders sign near School Street, the property contains an open field, mixed trees and a swamp.
Flanders holdings as a land trust expanded when the Hetzel family contributed approximately 54 acres to the organization, beginning in the mid-1970s. Located in Middlebury, Connecticut, the land is bordered to the north by Middlebury Land Trust property, bringing the protected open space area to nearly 95 acres. Containing diverse types of vegetation, the Refuge includes woodlands, hay fields, conifer plantations, swamps and several man-made ponds, all of which provide a haven for wildlife. Access to the property, containing an excellent trail system, is from Breakneck Hill Road in Middlebury.
Flanders was deeded the first parcel of the Refuge in 1986, with the remaining land deeded to Flanders by the Anne Marzahl Estate in 1999 and 2000. Flanders was entrusted with the management of the property as a nature preserve to retain its natural, scenic and open condition. Located to the east and west of Weekeepeemee Road (CT Route 132) in Woodbury, the Refuge encompasses a scenic waterfall and open or semi-open fields, providing a natural habitat for different bird and animal species. Access to the Refuge is available through an unimproved, old logging road from Route 132, marked by a Flanders sign.
In 2000, developers of an upscale residential enclave in Woodbury offered Flanders more than 126 acres of land with the intent that Flanders preserve the property as open space. Adjacent to the 25-lot development, the property forms a linkage with other protected open spaces, has significant value as a wildlife habitat and contains former logging roads that have been developed into a low-impact trail system. Access to the property is from Pilgrim Trail.
Fronting on Cowles Road in the north central area of Woodbury, the 28.5 acre Fleming Preserve is under the protection of Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust, in cooperation with the Town of Woodbury. The former land-owner, John Fleming, was one of the first organizers of the process and public presentation of maple sugaring at Flanders. The original Flanders Sap House and maple sugaring operations were located on the Fleming Preserve, which consists of forest land, containing sugar maples, meadows, an overlook, a former apple orchard, stone walls, and a short, but beautiful, hiking trail, among other natural attributes. Access to the property is from Cowles Road.
Through direct ownership of preserved open space (1,885 acres) and holding conservation easements (415 acres), Flanders manages more than 54 conserved properties, totaling more than 2,400 acres in Woodbury, Bethlehem, Middlebury, and Southbury.
These holdings include our two most popular nature preserves in Woodbury, the 200-acre Van Vleck Farm & Nature Sanctuary on Flanders Road, and the 686-acre Whittemore Sanctuary on route 64.
Flanders manages 41 properties outright while holding conservation easements on another 13 bringing the total to more than 2,100 acres, in Woodbury and surrounding towns…we carefully manage to retain the lands ecological habitats and ensure that the open space is enhanced for all future generations.
After acquiring land, in its role as steward, Flanders manages and monitors the properties on an annual basis preserving their natural beauty and caring for the system as a whole, through astute land-use practices, and the recruitment and training of approximately 36 volunteer monitors. This not only involves the greater mission of looking after the natural biological diversity of the ecosystems, but also the day-to-day tasks of maintaining the physical attributes of the land. For example, Flanders is responsible for the grooming of existing trails and construction of new ones; creation of special paths and “natural corners”; or the maintenance of structures on various properties to prevent them from falling into disrepair. In short, Flanders oversees the health of the nature preserves, ensuring that woodlands, lakes, meadows and trails remain open for everyone to use and enjoy.
Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust holds in trust more than 2,100 acres of open space in Woodbury, Bethlehem, Southbury, and Middlebury, Connecticut, including seven nature preserves and sanctuaries that include hiking trails.
From a photo trek across a sunny meadow to a cross-country ski adventure on a snowy, woodland trail, the passive recreational opportunities on Flanders’ land are as diverse as the settings. Each of the properties has its own character and attributes, from historic buildings, stone walls and marked trails to expansive vistas of woodlands, lakes, ponds, streams, fields and a bog. These pristine, undeveloped areas offer moments of reflection, relaxation, and recreation.
Are you hiking on Flanders’ trails and a tree is down or debris is blocking the trail? Please call the office at 203-263-3711 or email us at flanders@flandersnaturecenter.org and let us know.
Take a hike on Flanders’ trails! Click on the trail below to download a map.
Van Vleck Farm and Nature Sanctuary Trail Map
Whittemore Sanctuary Trail Map
Hetzel Refuge Trail Map
Fleming Preserve Trail Map
Marzahl Refuge Trail Map
Manville Kettle Map
Leavenworth Preserve Property Trail Map
A complete map of Flanders’ properties that have hiking trails
The 200-acre Van Vleck Farm and Nature Sanctuary and the 686-acre Whittemore Sanctuary, both in Woodbury, Connecticut offer a network of well-marked and well-maintained pedestrian-only trails for year-round passive recreation, including walking, hiking, wildlife observation, photo treks, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. The diversity of terrain, plant life and habitat areas that can be experienced at the Van Vleck Farm Sanctuary are reflected in such trail names as the “Botany Trail,” “Wildlife Vegetation Trail,” “Wilderness Trail,” “Farm Trail,” “Old Orchard Trail” and others. Similarly, trails at the Whittemore Sanctuary wind through expansive, natural vistas and are identified by color. Trails at both Sanctuaries are open every day from dawn to dusk. Trail maps can be downloaded above and are also available at South Farm Administrative Office at 596 Flanders Road in Woodbury.
Flanders has planted several letterboxes on the family friendly trails at their preserves and sanctuaries and more are being planned. Combining art and nature in a fun interactive way, letterboxing is a popular treasure hunting activity done world-wide. At Flanders, the letterboxing clues include educational comments about the natural world.
Letterboxers follow a set of clues to find “boxes” that have been hidden along hiking trails. Those that plan to letterbox at Flanders will want the Flanders Passport. One letter box on each trail will contain a letter. Anyone who hikes at least twelve of the letterboxing trails at Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust, stamps the letters from those trails in their passport and presents their passport at the Flanders office will be asked to sign their Trail Name on our poster of Successful Flanders Letterboxers. They will receive a small prize.
The award-winning Botany Trail at the Van Vleck Farm and Nature Sanctuary was developed in 1965 by members of the Pomperaug Valley Garden Club of Woodbury, who continue to maintain and improve it. More than 100 species of wildflowers and plants are represented on the trail, as it winds through woodlands, wetlands and close to streams and a pond. Garden Club members salvaged many of the species, which are now replanted and flourishing on the trail, before they were destroyed at area construction sites. Each spring, the Pomperaug Valley Garden Club, in conjunction with Flanders, leads weekend public hikes to observe the variety of wildflowers blooming on the Trail. The views are particularly impressive in early May, when the blossoms are at their peak.
Dogs MUST be leashed at all times
Leashes allow everyone a peaceful hike
Please clean up after your pet!
