Sprague River Park Continues to Expand

January 2008

We’re planning some additions to the River Park this spring, including trail markers, more grills, and better access to the Mill headrace, with the help of grants from EPA and the DEP Recreational Trails program.  Please check back with us in the spring for a complete report.  In the meantime, visitors to the River Park may see some new chain link fencing surrounding the headrace.  This fencing is temporary, but we wanted to provide some protection this winter since many more people are beginning to explore the area, and our volunteers are cutting trees and brush in the headrace catwalk area.  The temporary fence, while not exactly the prettiest feature of the park, is designed to protect visitors until our permanent, period-appropriate fencing/railings are in place.  Please bear with us, and always exercise caution/watch your kids when you’re near the headrace.

 

 

Letterboxing in the Land Preserve 

October 2009

This marks our fourth year of hosting Letterboxes at the Sprague Land Preserve.  We have four there now, and we hope you’ll print out the clues (below, or at www.letterboxing.org) and take a nice fall hike and go find them.  As always, we value your comments and suggestions, and in the case of our latest box, “Don’t Tread on Me,” we ask your patience as we refine the directions and give you some compass directions in the future. We know, we asked for your patience last year too, but we were doing maintenance on the others and just haven’t gotten to our most challenging one yet.  If you find it and have taken compass directions we can use to make the clues better, please let us know!

There are now two additional letterboxes on the property placed by other letterboxing aficionados.  Their links are also here.

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 . . .

What are Letterboxes?

Letterboxes are everywhere.  You’ve passed by them on walks in woods, in public parks, probably even in bus stations and on the street in New York City.  They are small hidden containers that have rubber stamps in them, and depending on their size they will have a small notebook, some ink, and a pen.  The object of letterboxing is to follow a set of clues and find the box.  Most clues are easy; but some are in difficult riddles and although planted years ago, have been found only once or twice! You take the stamp out of the box and you stamp your own notebook; then you take your own stamp (that you carry with you at all times in case of a letterboxing emergency!) and you “stamp in” to let others (and the letterbox “owner”) know you’ve been there.  There are people who have thousands of stamps from every state and all over the world. 

This is a GREAT activity for kids because it gets them outside, walking, reading, using a compass, re-packing the box carefully, then wanting to learn to carve their own stamps and hide boxes too.   

But we are still new to the sport, so we need your feedback  When you find the boxes (or if you can’t find them) drop us a line (grants@ctsprague.org) and tell us how we’re doing.  But first, go to the www.letterboxing.org site to get an idea of what a popular yet largely “undiscovered” pastime this is.

Remember: The Town of Sprague Welcomes ALL visitors but please obey a few simple rules:

• Drive your car all the way down the dirt road (7/10 mile) and park near the cabin where there’s room.  Parking on the road means that other cars can’t pass you.
• Please obey the signs that say to keep out of certain areas where we are cleaning up the lead pellets from years of hunting.  You will know these areas immediately by the cheery orange and yellow fencing (no, we don’t like it either but it does the trick.)
• ATV’s and motorbikes are prohibited.  The area is patrolled and violators will be prosecuted.
• Please respect this lovely resource and take out anything you bring into the woods—help keep our park gorgeous.
• The Preserve is closed at sunset except to fishermen.  Currently the gate will be locked at sunset.

Happy Letterboxing, and enjoy the Sprague Land Preserve!

LINKS

Here’s a cool map from the QVSHC/ Source to Sea Planning Committee, created by Alan Dabrowski using a Google-based mapping system.  When you open the map, you will be looking at rivers in "terrain view."   By "clicking and holding," you can move the image and travel down the entire length of the rivers.   Look at the text to the left of the map for viewing tips.  For example, changing to "satellite view" allows you to zoom in even further than "terrain view" so you can see a tremendous amount of detail (and zooming in will "unstack" some of the closely-spaced icons).   Click on any of the icons and you will be treated to popups with text, links to other resources, photos, etc.  A high speed internet connection is recommended. 

Paddler's Guide to the Shetucket River

Check out the Paddler’s Maps for other Connecticut rivers on www.thelastgreenvalley.org
 

Here are some useful links to conservation-related organizations and activities in the area:

Thames River Basin Partnership:   www.thamesriverbasinpartnership.org

QSHC/The Last Green Valley  www.thelastgreenvalley.org

Trout Unlimited www.thamesvalleytu.org

The Nature Conservancy www.tnc.org

 Eastern Connecticut Conservation District (ECCD) www.conservect.org/eastern

Connecticut Fisherman: www.ctfisherman.com,

Office of the State Archaeologist: http://www.cac.uconn.edu/osa.html