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Purchased by the Town of Sprague in 2005
with the assistance of a Land Acquisition
grant from the CT Department of
Environmental Protection
Open from dawn to sunset every day.
The gate is locked at sunset.

Click here to view Mukluk Brochure
(this brochure is being updated)

Click here to view a Trail Map of the property

Click here to review the current HUNTING regulations for the property

Directions to the Preserve: Rt. 207 to Holton Rd (dead end); take the right fork at the sign to the Sprague Land Preserve, which is an unpaved right-of-way. The entrance to Mukluk is 7/10 of a mile in. Parking is at the top of the hill by the cabin. The gate is locked at dusk; all vehicles must be off the property at dusk.

When visiting the Preserve please respect the yellow and orange fencing that marks the boundaries of the 15-acre lead-contaminated area and do not enter these areas. Check back with this site periodically to see how we’ve progressed with the cleanup.

Fall 2009: Improved walking on the Access Road: Hikers who visit the Sprague Land
Preserve this fall may find that the main access road is a bit drier, thank to the installation by our service forester of a wire mesh and plastic pipe combo called a "Beaver Deceiver" in the split pond. We've tried a number of methods to keep the water from breaching the culvert, but have
always been slightly foiled in our plans by an industrious resident--Big Mike DuBois (pictured right, in his domain), one of the largest beavers we've ever had the privilege of running away from when we see him swimming towards us as we unclog the culverts: honestly, it looks like we're being investigated by a water buffalo.
However, this device is used in many problem

Winter 2009/10: Check out this fabulous article, with photos, about hiking in the Land Preserve in winter, from Sara Hanby at the Reminder newspaper. http://www.remindernews.com/node/7/&town=jewettcity&url=JEWC-2010-01-22-2-Ar00200

spots across the country, and while it does not prevent beavers from doing their job, it allows the Town crew to easily and rapidly break up any debris that may have collected. (As a fundraiser we may institute a betting pool to see if Big Mike figures out another way to wash out the road. Kidding!)

Letterboxing in the Land Preserve (Town-Placed letterboxes)

Bobcat (our first letterbox and hand-carved stamp)
Chipmunk Picnic
I Love Mukluk
Don’t Tread on Me
Hunny Pot Waterfalls
See a Hat Turn into a . . .

EPA Brownfields Grant Information Archive
January 2010 marked the completion of activities related to Sprague’s $200,000 Brownfields 2006 award to begin cleanup of the portion of the preserve that had been contaminated by lead pellets from 50-odd years' use as a hunting preserve/skeet range. Awarded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the award also stipulated the creation of an information archive of all reports and testing done on the property, so that the public can see exactly what steps have been taken to make the contaminated area safe.Visitors to the preserve will still notice orange, yellow and steel fencing surrounding the approximately 15 acres with lead levels considered hazardous by state and federal standards. Please obey the signs and do not enter the posted areas.The funds remediated two very important areas in the preserve: the access road to the majority of the parcel, and the skeet field close to the parking area, that is now an open field suitable for games, bird watching, picnics, dog Frisbee, etc. Below is a list of links to documents related to the investigation and testing of lead on the property, as well as a final closeout report.

Brownfields AP 12-7-05
EPA sampling area 1
EPA sampling area 2
IRM Summary Letter 6 07
M&E workplan for addl testing
Mukluk 4th qrtr rpt 7-24-08
Mukluk Fence Relocation 5-08
Mukluk lead levels skeet mg 5-08
Mukluk LEP RFP 7-6-06
Mukluk Phase 3
Mukluk Phs1-2
Mukluk QAPP Rev 11-07
Mukluk Surface Soils0-3 95UCLMeanFarRangeArea
Mukluk Surface Soils0-3 95UCLMeanRangeProper
Mukluk Surface Soils0-3 95UCLMeanRangeProper and DownRange
Mukluk trail map
Photo Area map
Skeet Area Resampling 6 08
Workplan FY06
Brownfields 1^st 1/4ly 09-10 report
Letter to DEP from Sprague re: DPH alternatives 6-09
Uconn Final Report on Phytoremediation
Land Preserve Final Report
Property Profile Form 1-15-10

To learn more about UConn’s Pilot Phytoremediation project at the Preserve http://clu-in.org/download/citizens/citphyto.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytoremediation

OLDER ARTICLES

August 2008: Sprague votes to accept DEP Grant and place Conservation Easement on Mukluk

The legal papers finalizing the acceptance of a $500,000 Land Acquisition grant from the Department of Environmental Protection were signed last week by (from left) Don Boushee, Conservation Commission Chair, First Selectman Catherine Osten, and Conservation Commission member/Tree Warden Dave Gustafson. All but 35 acres of the 270+ acre property now will possess a permanent conservation easement, which protects the area as open space, to be used for all types of passive recreation for residents and visitors. Sprague will continue to address lead contamination issues in the southeastern corner of the property—part of the parcel outside the easement area.Spring 2008: a visitor to the Preserve writes a nice tribute. [Importance of Riverside Open Space]

May 2008: Environmental Review Team News

Sprague received a grant from The Connecticut Environmental Review Team Program, to have a natural resources inventory prepared for the Mukluk preserve.
Readers of this website know that the team, consisting of experts around the state, worked all summer to provide a detailed analysis of the property from a geological, hydrological, wildlife, botanical and forestry perspective. The result is a fascinating report that you can access and/or download here. Mukluk Preserve Property Please visit their site as well, at www.ctert.org to find out more about this great organization and its work to preserve and protect open space and biodiversity in Connecticut.