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Directions:
Take Interstate 84 to Exit 14; Proceed north on Route 172
for 1.4 miles. Proceed West (left) on East Flat Hill
Road for 0.3 miles; turn left at the sign (see below) into
the Bent of the River driveway. Park in the lot
immediately on your right. |
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Make it a special weekend by
staying at the
Cornucopia at Oldfield Bed and
Breakfast |
Now
Available: Summer Camp Brochure
Click Here |
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The
Audubon Center at Bent of the River is a "jewel".
Audubon received the original property of 460 acres at the
Bent of the River in 1993 from the Althea Clark estate.
Since then additional properties have been purchased so that
now the Center protects over a square mile of land. Since
the acquisition, the staff has worked at transforming the
property into a nature sanctuary with well-identified trails
and exhibits.
Click
here to see an Overview Presentation of the Center with
Pictures taken by Former Center Director, John Longstreth.
Click
here for the current Newsletter
Click here for a view of the Trail Map
For more information, call 203 264
5098 |
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The Bent is located only 4
miles from the Cornucopia via some of Southbury's most
scenic roads. Once there you can spend anywhere from a
short stay (to watch the birds feed from the second floor
rear balcony of the barn) or take in as much time walking
the looping and interconnected 15 miles of trails.
In 1934,
Howard G.B. and Althea Ward Clark bought the Bent's core
land from the Mitchell family who had farmed here since the
1750's. The purchase price was $15,000 and included
the house, barn and 350 acres of land. They
maintained the Bent as a private estate for over 60 years.
Because the Clark's did not take any timber from the
forests, many of the trees are well over 100 years old.
Since
the forests have not been disturbed, many of the native
ferns, wildflowers and other woodland plants have returned. |
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The Barn:
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The historic Barn at
the Bent is worth the visit in of itself. Built shortly
after the Civil War, the Barn features many displays about
nature, birding and life on the farm. The decorative sleigh
and buggy were the pride of Mr. Clark. The peace and quiet
offered by the second floor balcony is therapeutic. From
there you can sit on one of the stools and watch the many
bird feeders below. Scopes are provided to give you perfect
views of the many birds that come to this area. |
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The
Barn also provides the offices for the staff of
Audubon Connecticut as well as the
Pomperaug
River Watershed Coalition, a local non-governmental
organization concerned with the quality and quantity of
water in the local watershed.
In
addition there is an extensive library maintained by the
staff of the Audubon. Center staff regularly lead
walks on Wednesdays and weekends. Many of these hikes
are about specific natural history topics. Others are
hikes to enjoy the beautiful countryside. |
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The Barn as seen from the river |
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The Trails:
The Bent of the River is a 700-acre
nature center and sanctuary. The land lies along the
Pomperaug River and approaches the Housatonic River. The
Bent encompasses many ecosystems and habitats including
un-fragmented forests, grasslands, old meadows, vernal
pools, riparian forest and red maple swamps. As a result of
this variety, visitors can, if they are quiet and observant,
see a large number of species of plants and animals in a
fairly small space.
The Bent has about fifteen miles of
hiking trails though meadows and woods. Some of these
trails run through countryside that feels very remote and
wild. |
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