Couch Hill Preserve

Ownership

Town of Redding

Acreage

70.5

Entrance

Off Sunset Hill Road

Parking

At entrance

Trails

Consult signpost map at entrance.

Background: Abutting Huntington State Park, this unique 70-acre tract was acquired in 1999 from Hjalmar Granskog, a long-time Redding resident. Identified in the 1998 Open Space Plan as the number one priority for acquisition, the Preserve consists of two-thirds open meadows, which are increasingly rare in Redding and the entire state, and one-third woodland. Offering sweeping views of distant ridges, the property is a remnant of the last ice age known as a drumlin. Meadows provide critical bird habitat, particularly for the Bobolink, a listed species "of special concern" in Connecticut. After mowing, the fields may be used by hikers and horseback riders

In 2016, following a 2015 review, Audubon Connecticut (the state branch of National Audubon Society) designated Couch Hill Preserve as an Important Bird Area.❧