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 2015, the Couch Hill Preserve was designated an Important Bird Area by Audubon Connecticut.❧