McLean Game Refuge
Encyclopedia
The McLean Game Refuge is a 4400 acres (1,780.6 ha) nature preserve in the towns of Granby
, Simsbury
, and Canton
, Connecticut
. Senator and Governor of Connecticut, George P. McLean
had purchased the land throughout his life. It was left to the McLean Fund upon his death in 1932 and remains open to the public today. In November 1973, 1800 acres (728.4 ha) of the Refuge were designated a National Natural Landmark
. He often brought political colleagues to visit the Refuge, including United States Presidents Coolidge
, Taft
and Hoover
.
In 1912, McLean met Amos Everett George, a Pequot
Indian who became the caretaker of his lands, building the trails and huts throughout the Refuge. George's two sons followed him as caretaker in turn.
The McLean Fund continues to manage the Refuge today.
On October 1, 2008 the senior health care services (McLean Health Center, McLean Home Care and Hospice, McLean Village) were re-organized as a subsidiary of the McLean Fund named McLean Affiliates, Inc., and the McLean Game Refuge was set up as a separate corporation as a subsidiary of the parent company "The McLean Fund".
metamorphic rock
in the western sections. In the east are trap rock
ridges from the Triassic period including the Barn Door Hills
which are part of the Metacomet Ridge
. Other portions of the Refuge are sandy plains, esker
fields and kettle ponds created by the melting glaciers in the Pleistocene
period.
Trout Pond and Spring Pond were created by damming creeks. East Barn Door hill at 560 feet (170.7 m) is inside the Refuge while West Barn Door hill at 671 feet (204.5 m) is in the nearby Granby Land Trust.
and Marc Banks of the University of Connecticut
. Their investigation "produced some important data about the prehistoric landscape signature of this region and implicitly of the prehistoric Indian use of an interior portion of the Farmington Valley."
site. Many species of birds including Pileated Woodpecker
, Blue-headed Vireo
, Winter Wren
, Hermit Thrush
and Blackburnian Warbler
are commonly seen.
Vegetation in the area varies with the terrain, but can include Chestnut
, Oak
, Beech
, Birch
, Maple
, and Hemlock
. Shrubs include Huckleberry
, Blueberry
, and Mountain Laurel. Since this area had been logged for timber and charcoal before McLean purchased it, many of these are stump sprouts
.
Granby, Connecticut
Granby is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 10,347 at the 2000 census. The town center was defined as a census-designated place known as Salmon Brook in the 2000 census....
, Simsbury
Simsbury, Connecticut
Simsbury is a suburban town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 23,234 at the 2000 census. The town was incorporated as Connecticut's twenty-first town in May 1670.-Early history:...
, and Canton
Canton, Connecticut
Canton is a rural town, incorporated in 1806, in Hartford County, Connecticut. The population was 8,840 at the 2000 census, and has grown to 10,292 as of the 2010 census. It is bordered by Granby on the north, Simsbury on the east, Avon and Burlington on the south, New Hartford on the west, and...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. Senator and Governor of Connecticut, George P. McLean
George P. McLean
George Payne McLean was a United States Senator from Connecticut. Born in Simsbury, he attended the common schools and studied law. He was admitted to the bar in 1881 and commenced practice in Hartford. He was a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives in 1883 and 1884, and a member of...
had purchased the land throughout his life. It was left to the McLean Fund upon his death in 1932 and remains open to the public today. In November 1973, 1800 acres (728.4 ha) of the Refuge were designated a National Natural Landmark
National Natural Landmark
The National Natural Landmark program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only natural areas program of national scope that identifies and recognizes the best examples of biological and geological features in...
History
In 1903, after serving as Governor, McLean returned to his family farm and began purchasing land. In 1905, he received a $3 million inheritance which he immediately put to work increasing his land which continued until his death. He became a Senator in 1911 and served three terms, during which he helped pass the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 , codified at , is a United States federal law, at first enacted in 1916 in order to implement the convention for the protection of migratory birds between the United States and Great Britain...
. He often brought political colleagues to visit the Refuge, including United States Presidents Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
, Taft
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
and Hoover
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
.
In 1912, McLean met Amos Everett George, a Pequot
Pequot
Pequot people are a tribe of Native Americans who, in the 17th century, inhabited much of what is now Connecticut. They were of the Algonquian language family. The Pequot War and Mystic massacre reduced the Pequot's sociopolitical influence in southern New England...
Indian who became the caretaker of his lands, building the trails and huts throughout the Refuge. George's two sons followed him as caretaker in turn.
McLean Fund
When McLean died in 1932, he created the McLean Fund to be responsible for the McLean Home and Village assisted living communities as well as the Refuge. The McLean Fund has eight Trustees which are overseen by the Simsbury Probate Court.The McLean Fund continues to manage the Refuge today.
On October 1, 2008 the senior health care services (McLean Health Center, McLean Home Care and Hospice, McLean Village) were re-organized as a subsidiary of the McLean Fund named McLean Affiliates, Inc., and the McLean Game Refuge was set up as a separate corporation as a subsidiary of the parent company "The McLean Fund".
Geography
The diverse geology of the Refuge includes PaleozoicPaleozoic
The Paleozoic era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon, spanning from roughly...
metamorphic rock
Metamorphic rock
Metamorphic rock is the transformation of an existing rock type, the protolith, in a process called metamorphism, which means "change in form". The protolith is subjected to heat and pressure causing profound physical and/or chemical change...
in the western sections. In the east are trap rock
Trap rock
Trap rock is a form of igneous rock that tends to form polygonal vertical fractures, most typically hexagonal, but also four to eight sided. The fracture pattern forms when magma of suitable chemical composition intrudes as a sill or extrudes as a thick lava flow, and slowly cools.Because of the...
ridges from the Triassic period including the Barn Door Hills
Barn Door Hills
The Barn Door Hills of north-central Connecticut are a pair of prominent rocky trap rock knobs separated by a steep sided gap. They are located in Granby, Connecticut. The hills are an outlying section of the narrow, linear Metacomet Ridge that extends from Long Island Sound near New Haven, north...
which are part of the Metacomet Ridge
Metacomet Ridge
The Metacomet Ridge, Metacomet Ridge Mountains, or Metacomet Range of southern New England, United States, is a narrow and steep fault-block mountain ridge known for its extensive cliff faces, scenic vistas, microclimate ecosystems, and communities of plants considered rare or endangered...
. Other portions of the Refuge are sandy plains, esker
Esker
An esker is a long winding ridge of stratified sand and gravel, examples of which occur in glaciated and formerly glaciated regions of Europe and North America...
fields and kettle ponds created by the melting glaciers in the Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
period.
Trout Pond and Spring Pond were created by damming creeks. East Barn Door hill at 560 feet (170.7 m) is inside the Refuge while West Barn Door hill at 671 feet (204.5 m) is in the nearby Granby Land Trust.
Hiking trails
There are over 20 miles of hiking trails as well as two horse trails. There are two main entrances and several access points.Archaeological survey
In 1993 and 1995, the McLean Game Refuge was the subject of an archaeological survey, conducted by Kenneth Feder of Central Connecticut State UniversityCentral Connecticut State University
Central Connecticut State University is a state university in New Britain, Connecticut, United States.The school was moved to its present campus in 1922...
and Marc Banks of the University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
. Their investigation "produced some important data about the prehistoric landscape signature of this region and implicitly of the prehistoric Indian use of an interior portion of the Farmington Valley."
Flora and fauna
The Refuge is known as a beautiful and prolific birdwatchingBirdwatching
Birdwatching or birding is the observation of birds as a recreational activity. It can be done with the naked eye, through a visual enhancement device like binoculars and telescopes, or by listening for bird sounds. Birding often involves a significant auditory component, as many bird species are...
site. Many species of birds including Pileated Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
The Pileated Woodpecker is a very large North American woodpecker, almost crow-sized, inhabiting deciduous forests in eastern North America, the Great Lakes, the boreal forests of Canada, and parts of the Pacific coast. It is also the largest woodpecker in America.Adults are long, and weigh...
, Blue-headed Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
The Blue-headed Vireo is a Neotropical migrating song bird found in North and Central America. There are currently two recognized sub-species that belong to the Blue-headed Vireo. It has a range that extends across Canada and the eastern coast of the United-States, Mexico and some of Central America...
, Winter Wren
Winter Wren
The Winter Wren is a very small North American bird and a member of the mainly New World wren family Troglodytidae. It was once lumped with Troglodytes pacificus of western North America and Troglodytes troglodytes of Eurasia under the name Winter Wren.It breeds in coniferous forests from British...
, Hermit Thrush
Hermit Thrush
The Hermit Thrush is a medium-sized North American thrush. It is not very closely related to the other North American migrant species of Catharus, but rather to the Mexican Russet Nightingale-thrush.-Description:...
and Blackburnian Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
The Blackburnian Warbler, Dendroica fusca , is a small New World warbler. They breed in eastern North America, from southern Canada, westwards to the southern Canadian Prairies, the Great Lakes region and New England, to North Carolina....
are commonly seen.
Vegetation in the area varies with the terrain, but can include Chestnut
Chestnut
Chestnut , some species called chinkapin or chinquapin, is a genus of eight or nine species of deciduous trees and shrubs in the beech family Fagaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce.-Species:The chestnut belongs to the...
, Oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
, Beech
Beech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
, Birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
, Maple
Maple
Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
, and Hemlock
Tsuga
Tsuga is a genus of conifers in the family Pinaceae. The common name hemlock is derived from a perceived similarity in the smell of its crushed foliage to that of the unrelated plant poison hemlock....
. Shrubs include Huckleberry
Huckleberry
Huckleberry is a common name used in North America for several species of plants in two closely related genera in the family Ericaceae:* Vaccinium* GaylussaciaHuckleberry may also refer to:-Plants:...
, Blueberry
Blueberry
Blueberries are flowering plants of the genus Vaccinium with dark-blue berries and are perennial...
, and Mountain Laurel. Since this area had been logged for timber and charcoal before McLean purchased it, many of these are stump sprouts
Tree stump
After a tree has been cut and felled, the stump or tree stump is usually a small remaining portion of the trunk with the roots still in the ground. Stumps may show the age-defining rings of a tree. The study of these rings is known as dendrochronology....
.