Prepared For: Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Author: Harry White, Ecologist ~ Colebrook, Connecticut
Funded by the Grant Program of the Farmington River Coordinating Committee

The Sandy Brook Natural Area Preserve, lying astride the Northwest Highlands and the Northwest Uplands Ecoregions, consists of those portions of Sandy Brook and the adjacent uplands of the Algonquin State Forest and the Kitchel Wilderness lying within 100 feet of Sandy Brook in the town of Colebrook, Connecticut. The uplands, encompassing 43 acres, protect the adjacent salmon and native brook trout fishery, create a scenic corridor, and provide habitat and a migration corridor for upland wildlife. Sandy Brook is considered the highest-ranking Atlantic salmon restoration stream in the Farmington River Basin.

Section 23-5a of the Connecticut General Statutes (CGS) establishes a state system of Natural Area Preserves to preserve the natural attributes of scenic, high-value wilderness areas. To become part of the Natural Area Preserve System, a site must include land or water containing or potentially containing plant or animal life or features of outstanding biological, scientific, educational, geological, paleontological, or scenic value worthy of preservation in their natural condition. In 2002, Governor John Rowland designated the Sandy Brook Natural Area Preserve (NAP). The NAP designation requires a detailed management plan to protect the preserve’s unique species, communities, and other attributes.

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