Meshomasic State Forest
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Meshomasic State Forest
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 View of the Connecticut River as seen from Great Hill . |
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| location | Middletown , USA | |
| surface | 36 km 2 | |
| Geographical location | 41 ° 38 ′ N , 72 ° 33 ′ W | |
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| Setup date | 1903 | |
| administration | Dept. of Energy & Environmental Protection, State of Connecticut | |
The Meshomasic State Forest is a state forest in the areas of East Hampton , Portland and Marlborough with smaller areas in Glastonbury and Hebron . It is a popular recreational destination. The Rangers Headquarters are located on Gadpouch Road ( ⊙ ) in East Hampton.
history
Meshomasic State Forest in 1903 with 0.28 km 2 set, then purchased for $ 105,000. It was the first state forest in Connecticut and the second ever in America, after Pennsylvania. The forest was originally used for training purposes in order to be able to offer private landowners good management examples. During the Great Depression , two were the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) -camps set up in the forest. Connecticut Route 2 , which connects Hartford and Norwich , was built in the 1950s and 1960s and runs through the forest between exits Exit 10 and Exit 12.
Ecology and geology
The predominant secondary forest is typical of the coastal forests of the ecoregion of the North American Northeast. This type of forest consists of a mixture of deciduous trees (oak, maple etc.) and the white pine . At one point there is a grove of pine trees that are over a hundred years old, the so-called “big pines”.
The forest floor is interspersed with boulders and blocks, which the last Ice Age dragged in, and the topography is largely shaped by the effects of the glaciers. Cobalt , quartzite , and feldspar are everywhere, and gold was also discovered by geologists at the University of Connecticut in the 1980s, but the occurrences were not profitable. The highest point in the Meshomasic State Forest is Meshomasic Mountain, which is 279 m (916 ft) above sea level . There are a few more hills that reach 270 m high. Great Hill , on Great Hill Pond overlooking the Connecticut River , is part of the Bald Hill Range that runs through the forest.
Kongscut Mountain (also: Rattlesnake Mtn. , 234 m, ⊙ ) is located between Goodale Hill Road and Ash Swamp Road in a small plot of the Meshomasic State Forest in the area of East Glastonbury. The rocky forest terrain is home to the largest population of forest rattlesnakes in Connecticut. The forest rattlesnake is an endangered species in Connecticut and is a protected species. Bites are very rare and every accident in the Meshomasic State Forest has been treated in time.
Management
The Meshomasic State Forest was originally acquired to give private landowners an example of good forest management. Today, the management goals also include providing the best quality water to Portland Town Reservoir , which is in the forest area, and protecting the forest rattlesnake population.
About 300,000 meters are currently 2 (75 acre) per year scours. This is considered a sustainable harvest rate and even supports the biodiversity of the forest. And it makes the forest resistant to the harmful effects of forest fires, storms and insect pests. The “ big pines ” are left out and preserved to give an idea of the appearance of a primary forest .
In the 19th century and again in the 1940s, feldspar and mica were mined in two places. The quarries are still open to visitors and mineral collectors.
From the early 1950s to the 1970s, plot HA-36 was set up for Nike missiles from the anti-aircraft missile program on North Mulford Road in the Meshomasic State Forest. This parcel was one of 300 anti-aircraft missile positions near major cities during the Cold War . Nike Ajax anti-aircraft missiles were set up there to protect Hartford's aircraft industry from Soviet bombers.
Recreational opportunities
There are 13 km of forest roads in the forest that were originally laid out by the Civilian Conservation Corps. These trails are open seasonally. Hunting and mountain biking are also allowed. A public shooting range operated by the Department of Environmental Protection is located near Toll Gate Road in Glastonbury. Camping is not allowed.
The Shenipsit Trail , which extends north to south through Connecticut, has its southern end in the Meshomasic State Forest on Gadpouch Road . The trail runs along a range of hills through the southern part of the forest, where there are several viewpoints over the Connecticut River and nearby Middletown . 12 of the 40 mi of the trail are in the Meshomasic State Forest area.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?A=2697&Q=322834
- ↑ Olson, D. M, E. Dinerstein, et al : Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World: A New Map of Life on Earth Archived from the original on October 14, 2011. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: BioScience . 51, No. 11, 2001, pp. 933-938. doi : 10.1641 / 0006-3568 (2001) 051 [0933: TEOTWA] 2.0.CO; 2 . Retrieved October 2, 2012.
- ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/1986/07/08/science/gold-lures-geologists-to-connecticut.html?&pagewanted=1
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from July 15, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. >
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from May 27, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ http://www.meetup.com/Forever-Young/calendar/9396929/ ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
