For 100 years, every acre Steep Rock has saved, every trail we’ve built, and every species we’ve protected has happened because of folks like you. Thanks to your generosity, Steep Rock now safeguards 6,100 beautiful acres around Washington. Few towns are as lucky, where community support has preserved such remarkable natural spaces to benefit our local ecology, recreation, and education. You made all this possible.

But now we’re facing new challenges. Forests, fields, rivers, and streams in Washington and throughout Litchfield County are under threat. Volatile storms are damaging critical habitats, invasive species are displacing natives, and poorly planned development is swallowing valuable agricultural lands—reshaping this special corner of the planet. The results? Fragmented forests, compromised wildlife corridors, increased flooding, worsening droughts, and the gradual erosion of the northwest corner’s rural character.

Food insecurity is on the rise, fair and equitable housing is a dire need, and access to nature for people of all abilities is in demand.

The Center for Conservation is a $3 million investment to meet these challenges head-on, led by Steep Rock’s Macricostas Master Plan Committee, designed by Reese Owens Architects, constructed by West Mountain Builders, and made possible by your support. As an integral part of the ecological, economic, and cultural fabric of the community, here’s what’s ahead:

• Providing exceptional outdoor recreational experiences and programs
• Engaging and training the next generation of conservation leaders
• Addressing critical community issues, such as food insecurity, access to the outdoors, and health and wellness
• Expanding engagement with volunteers, schools, businesses, and community groups
• Serving as a laboratory for living and learning with the natural world