The Skidmore Preserve

On March 31, 1999 the Warren Land Trust received a gift of 63.8 acres from the estate of the late Lorraine Skidmore. The gift was arranged by Susan Skidmore Shannon and Robert Skidmore, executors of the estate. The property lies at the convergence of Milton Road, Warren, and Blue Swamp Road, Litchfield.

The beauty of the Skidmore Preserve is not only its exceptional conservation value due to a large variety of habitat types but its location, which is directly adjacent to the City of Waterbury's Shepaug River reservoir system, the two parcels creating a huge ecological landscape of protected, road-free area.

A 3-acre tract bearing the family homestead has been retained by Lorraine Skidmore's descendents for their personal use.

At the intersection of Blue Swamp Road and Milton Road there is a gated access point to an old logging road. It is the only relatively open area along the sole public road abutting the property.

The single most visually interesting site is located south of the logging road, where a series of large boulders, or table rock, are surrounded by large Eastern White Pine.

The southeastern corner of the property has several large fields that act as a support for the more forested areas they abut, and create habitat for an even more diverse group of fauna.