Events & Programs

Double your impact! Your donation to Steep Rock Association will be matched dollar for dollar up to $15,000 by supporting our non-profit land trust during this 36 hour community fundraising sponsored by the Connecticut Community Foundation.  Find us here: https://www.givelocalccf.org/organizations/steep-rock-association and join us on April 20 and 21, 2021.

To become a Fundraising Ambassador or for questions about this event, contact Monica Roberto at 860-868-9131 x 106.

Join Executive Director Brian Hagenbuch on a casual stroll around the Macricostas Hayfield and reflect on the significance of Earth Day on Thursday, April 22, 2021 from 8am-10am. The walk will feature some of Steep Rock’s recent stewardship efforts and we’ll look for signs of spring in the natural world. Participants are invited to bring a favorite quotation, poem, or Earth Day memory to reflect upon and share. Meeting Place: Macricostas Preserve parking lot, 124 Christian Street, New Preston, CT 06777. This is a family-friendly event. Dress appropriately for muddy conditions. Bring your own snacks, water, mask, and Earth Day memory. Inclement weather will postpone the event. Terrain is flat to rolling and about 2 miles long.  Advance registration is required.

Enjoy the outdoors? Have some time to share? Become a volunteer Trail Manager for Steep Rock Association (SRA) and help care for some of our 46 miles of hiking, biking, and horseback riding trails. Join us on Saturday, April 24, 2021 from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. for an online training session for both new and veteran trail managers.

Trail Managers help steward a designated trail over a one-year period, regularly scouting the trail for environmental concerns and safety hazards as well as performing light trail maintenance duties. As one Trail Manager noted, “It’s a fun way to explore the preserves while also volunteering for SRA.”

To kick off the Trail Manager program for the season, SRA staff will hold a 1.5-hour online training through the meeting platform Zoom. During the training, volunteers will learn how to assess trail conditions, perform light trail maintenance techniques, and use a GPS mobile app to track their positions and report their findings.

Families with teens and older children are welcome, but an adult must participate with children under 16 years of age.  Registration is required to access the Zoom training session.

PROGRAM LEADER: Mike Giapponi, SRA’s Trails and Preserves Manager, will lead the program. Mike leads volunteers in various conservation projects, including the maintenance of SRA’s 46-mile trail network.

Steep Rock Association is a nationally-accredited land trust whose mission is to conserve ecologically and historically significant landscapes and riparian corridors in and around Washington CT and to enhance the community’s connection to nature through outreach, education, and passive recreation.

Visit Steep Rock Association during this Town-Wide Earth Day Celebration on Saturday, April 24 from 10:00 – 1:00 OUTSIDE on the Washington Town Hall lawn.  Social distancing and mask wearing rules will be in place.

Two-leaved toothwort (Cardamine diphylla)

Photo by Rory Larson

Join Steep Rock Association (SRA) on a hike over thawed trails in its Hidden Valley Preserve to discover the magnificently rich community of spring ephemerals adorning the forest floor.

Peary and BK Stafford will be leading the way on this 1^1/2-mile, level hike, sharing their wealth of knowledge on the ecology and morphology of these precious woodland plants.

The program is scheduled for May 8, 2021 from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.  However, please stay posted as the date may be adjusted due to weather’s influence on flowering.  We will meet at the main Hidden Valley Preserve parking lot located at 198 Bee Brook Road, Washington Depot, CT.  Participants will need seasonally-appropriate clothing, hiking footwear, and a mask. Water and binoculars are highly recommended.

Registration is required, space is limited, and social distancing will be practiced.

PROGRAM LEADERS: Peary Stafford is a longstanding trustee of Steep Rock Association whom co-chairs its Stewardship Committee and champions the promotion of biodiversity. He and his wife, BK, are seasoned naturalists, and in addition to wildflowers, they relish observing birds, butterflies, and dragonflies in the preserves.

Saturday, April 17, 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM

PLEASE NOTE THAT PROJECT LOCATION AND DETAILS HAVE CHANGED. SEE BELOW FOR UPDATED PROJECT INFORMATION.

Project: This month, we will be performing a range of projects, including trail blazing, invasive plant removal, and waterbar/drainage channel clearing.
Location: Steep Rock Preserve Main Parking Area (2 Tunnel Rd. Washington, CT)

Put your hands (and not just your boots) on the trails this hiking season by joining Steep Rock Association’s (SRA) Monthly Trail Work Party. The Monthly Trail Work Party meets at 10:00 a.m. the third Saturday of every month from April through October.

Have you ever wondered how trail workers build stone steps through remote forested hillsides or boardwalks that meander through swamps? Participants in SRA’s monthly trail work party learn by doing, tackling new and exciting projects every month, ranging from backcountry trail construction to water and vegetation management. Whether you participate for one workday or for the entire season, you are sure to enjoy the camaraderie of the group while leaving a lasting, positive impact on the trails you love.

The work party meets the third Saturday of every month from April through October from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm. Tools and equipment provided. Wear/bring close-toed shoes, a mask, long pants, seasonally appropriate clothing, and a re-usable water bottle. Some hiking to the varying worksites will be necessary.  The monthly work party project will be posted on the SRA website two weeks prior to the event.

Families with teens and older children are welcome, but an adult must accompany and participate with children under 16 years of age. Registration is required and limited to 15 participants. CDC protocols regarding mask wearing and social distancing will be enforced.

PROGRAM LEADERS: Mike Giapponi, SRA’s Trails and Preserves Manager, will lead the program. Mike leads volunteers in various conservation projects, including the maintenance of SRA’s 46-mile trail network.

Steep Rock Association is a nationally-accredited land trust whose mission is to conserve ecologically and historically significant landscapes and riparian corridors in and around Washington CT and to enhance the community’s connection to nature through outreach, education, and passive recreation.



HV Trail Map


Preserve monitors walk the boundaries of a Steep Rock Association nature preserve in 2019.  
Photo credit: Katie at m3mediapro.com

SRA invites you to scramble through the remote corners of Washington and explore the landscape in a truly unique way. Did you know that SRA has over 30 preserves scattered throughout town? These preserves range from wetlands to mixed hardwood forest; some are old apple orchards while old growth forests and glacial boulder fields dominate others. The one thing they all have in common is that SRA must walk their boundaries annually, monitoring the preserves for ecosystem health, signs of trespass, and presence of wildlife. This fall, we ask for your help. If you have ever driven the roads of Washington and wondered what lay beyond those yellow “Steep Rock Preserve” property signs, now is your chance to find out.  

We will start each day at 8:30 a.m. with coffee and light refreshments during an indoor training, which will take place at the Steep Rock House (116 Christian St. New Preston, CT). Learn how to use your smartphone as a GPS, what to look for as you walk the preserves, and how to mark and record your findings.  Bring a friend or we will match you with a partner, and then drive out to your assigned preserve to begin the outdoor monitoring. After walking the boundaries and recording any findings, meet back at the site of the indoor training to share your experiences and enjoy a complimentary lunch as a thank you for your time and efforts. 

Terrain and hiking difficulty vary widely. Participants will have the option to register for easy, intermediate, or difficult routes. Easier routes consist of hikes totaling approximately 45 minutes or less through flatter terrain while more difficult routes demand hiking over 2 hours through steeper areas. Please note that in all of the preserves, some degree of bushwhacking will be necessary. Participants should wear/bring sturdy waterproof boots, thick pants, long-sleeved shirts, sunscreen, bug spray, a water bottle, and cell phone if you have one. An adult must accompany children under 16.  Registration is required.

PROGRAM LEADERS: Mike Giapponi, SRA’s Trails and Preserves Manager will lead the program. Mike leads volunteers in various conservation projects, including the maintenance of SRA’s 46-mile trail network.  

Steep Rock Association is a nationally-accredited land trust whose mission is to conserve ecologically and historically significant landscapes and riparian corridors in and around Washington CT and to enhance the community’s connection to nature through outreach, education, and passive recreation.