Groton The Groton Open Space Association has purchased the 104-acre Sheep Farm South parcel on the corner of Flanders Road and Route 1, marking a long-held preservation goal that fits into the larger picture for open space in Groton.
The property abuts the existing 63-acre Sheep Farm property on Hazelnut Hill Road and is across Route 1 from the 75-acre Merritt Family Forest, where people can connect to the 6-mile Cross-Town Trail, GOSA President Joan Smith said.
The acquisition fits into a larger greenbelt that the association has been working on for years, starting with efforts more than 50 years ago to raise the matching funds to preserve the Haley Farm.
Fort Hill Brook tumbles over a waterfall at the Sheep Farm preserve in Groton. (Steve Fagin)
Mountain laurel surrounds Fort Hill Brook at the Sheep Farm preserve in Groton. (Betsy Graham)
The Sheep Farm preserve in Groton offers a quiet place to rest. (Betsy Graham)
Published December 10. 2020 9:49AM | Updated December 10. 2020 4:22PM By
Steve Fagin
Anyone crisscrossing Groton by car might think that pavement dominates a town containing so many housing subdivisions, apartment complexes, shopping centers, factories and office buildings, not to mention an interstate highway, airport and submarine base.
Those on foot, however, can hike for miles on connected trails, as our small group confirmed last week.