Steep Rock Association

09/01/2026

Groundbreaking celebration of the Edward and Kirsten Peckerman Stewardship Center.

09/01/2026

Steep Rock celebrated a momentous occasion last Wednesday by breaking ground on the new Edward and Kirsten Peckerman Stewardship Center, a cornerstone of the Steep Rock Center for Conservation at Macricostas Preserve!

Community members were invited to “bring your own shovel” (BYOS) and join Steep Rock trustees, staff, volunteers, and supporters in marking this exciting milestone. Architect Reese Owens and Trustee Kirsten Feldman reflected on the Center’s history, a vision first discussed nearly 30 years ago, and its promise for strengthening conservation, stewardship, and outreach in Washington and surrounding areas.

The Center for Conservation will create new opportunities for people to learn, volunteer, and connect with the natural world while strengthening Steep Rock’s ability to care for more than 6,000 acres of protected land. It will also support Judea Garden’s ongoing work by providing dedicated space to grow and distribute fresh produce to community members in need.

We are eternally grateful to the Edward and Kirsten Peckerman Charitable Trust and everyone who helped make this moment possible!

08/26/2026

Happy National Dog Day! 🐶
We at Steep Rock love to see our [leashed 😉] dog friends (and their humans 😅) enjoying the trails. Access to nature should extend to furry pals too!

Drop a photo of your dog enjoying the great outdoors in the comments 👇 for scientific purposes (aka extremely important cuteness research).

And for our feline-loving folks, we've added a cheeky trail-cat photo as well. 😸

08/25/2026

A beautiful capture of the Henry David Thoreau Footbridge in Hidden Valley Preserve from early yesterday morning.

📷Judy Maches

08/22/2026

08/17/2026

What a beautiful day we were blessed with for our annual Open Garden for Judea Garden on Saturday. We admired the lush garden, ate yummy food, and basked in the sun together reflecting on the abundance the garden has produced and the community that has made it happen.

Especially recognized were our amazing and dedicated garden volunteers, notably "Kale Queen" Bonnie, summer interns Valerie and Sarah who presented their projects on composting and bolting, and Denise Arturi who tended the garden through its conception 18 years ago up until her recent retirement. Judea Garden manager, Blair, and all of the Garden's supporters ensured it was a day to remember as we celebrated another bountiful season of giving back to those in need within our community.

08/13/2026

Join your local conservation organizations for a fun evening meet-up with others who care about protecting Connecticut’s lands and waters. This free, casual event is an opportunity to connect with others working or volunteering in the conservation field to connect and exchange news on environmental issues, conservation initiatives, local farming, land use, and more.

This event is co-hosted by Bent of the River Audubon Center, Bethlehem Land Trust, Pomperaug River Watershed Coalition, and Roxbury Land Trust. 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗥𝗦𝗩𝗣𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗿𝘆!

08/06/2026

Wednesday, we were delighted to host conservation partners from across the Northwest Corner for the Litchfield Hills Greenprint Collaborative’s annual intern gathering.

The evening brought together summer interns and staff from organizations including the Connecticut Land Conservation Council, Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy, Aton Forest, Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust, Kent Land Trust, Housatonic Valley Association and Steep Rock Association to celebrate a season of hard work, learning, and conservation.

This year's interns brought a wide range of experience to the table - from conservation education with summer campers, to trail construction and maintenance, invasive species treatment studies, forest studies (over- and understory), and even state-level conservation policy work. The gathering gave them a chance to connect with peers doing similar work across the region, swap stories from the field, and learn about other career paths in conservation.

We're proud to be part of a collaborative that invests in the next generation of conservation professionals. Thank you to all the organizations and interns who made the evening so special!

08/04/2026

🦉 Happy International Owl Awareness Day! 🦉

📷Haig Leonard

Every August 4th, we celebrate one of nature's most remarkable predators. The forests, fields, and riparian corridors along the Shepaug River provide vital habitat for owls like the Barred Owl, Great Horned Owl, and Eastern Screech-Owl.

Why do owls matter? They're nature's pest control. A single owl family can eat hundreds of rodents in a season, keeping our local ecosystems in balance without a drop of chemical poison. Their silent flight, extraordinary hearing, and ability to rotate their heads (up to 270°!) make them one of the best-adapted hunters in the animal kingdom. A healthy owl population is also a strong sign of a healthy landscape, which is exactly what we work to protect every day.

Owls do face real threats, though - from rodenticides and habitat loss to vehicle strikes on rural roads like ours. You can help:
- Skip poison-based rodent control — try snap traps instead
- Put up a nest box if your property lacks old-growth cavities
- Keep cats indoors to protect owls and other wildlife

If you happen to be walking one of our trails at dawn or dusk, listen closely and you might just hear the deep hoots of a Great Horned Owl or the eerie whinny of a Screech-Owl echoing through the trees. That's conservation at work. 👊