Beaver Brook State Park

Beaver Brook State Park
Connecticut state park
Country  United States
State  Connecticut
County Windham
Towns Chaplin, Windham
Elevation 331 ft (101 m) [1]
Coordinates 41°43′55″N 72°07′32″W / 41.73194°N 72.12556°W / 41.73194; -72.12556Coordinates: 41°43′55″N 72°07′32″W / 41.73194°N 72.12556°W / 41.73194; -72.12556 [1]
Area 401 acres (162 ha) [2]
Established 1955
Management Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Location in Connecticut
Website: Beaver Brook State Park

Beaver Brook State Park is an undeveloped state park located in the Windham and Chaplin, Connecticut, United States. The park encompasses Bibbins Pond, also known as Beaver Brook Pond, and the acreage to its north, and the Beaver Brook runs through the park and exits in the south. The park is listed as an undeveloped walk-in park with hunting as an activity, but it is better known for its trout fishing. Beaver Brook has abundant stocks of wild trout, but is restricted to catch and release only. The Air Line State Park Trail runs along the park's northern boundary.[3]

History

The state park was acquired using funds bequeathed by George Dudley Seymour to be used for the express purpose of purchasing public recreation areas for the people of the State of Connecticut.[4] The donation of the park lands was announced in 1955.[5] Prior to the creation of the park, it was reported that the trout pools were developed for fishing before 1955 by H. Keeney Lathrop.[5] According to Joseph Leary, "[t]he central feature of the park is Bibbins Pond, sometimes called Beaver Brook Pond."[6] The park encompasses Bibbins Pond, and the acreage to its north, but the park's name may derive from a beaver pond that was once present.[6] The Connecticut State Register and Manual notes a boundary increase from 165 acres in 1955 to 391 acres in the 1957.[7][8] The park achieved its present size of 401 acres by 1960.[9] In 2013, the State of Connecticut opened a contract to improve and repair the Bibbins Pond Dam.[10] Beaver Brook that runs both north and south of the pond and continues beyond the park limits.[11]

Activities

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection notes that the Beaver Brook State Park is an undeveloped walk-in park with hunting as an activity.[12] The Flyfisher's Guide to Connecticut states that the Beaver Brook is a class 1 Wild Trout Management Area and is described as having abundant wild trout with no seasonal restrictions, but is catch and release only.[13][11] The book further notes that only an artificial fly or lure with a single, barb-less free-swinging hook can be used in this area.[11] Only small, motor-less vessels are permitted on the ponds from May 16 to October 31.[14] Beaver Brook State Park is connected to the Air Line State Park Trail, which runs through the park.[15] The site also includes a geocache which can be accessed via three different routes.[16] In 1994, a Connecticut state record for Brook Trout was caught in Beaver Brook by Sean Wozniak.[17] As of 2014, the Brook Trout record was last surpassed in 1998 by David Andes in Blackwells Brook in Brooklyn, Connecticut.[18]

The park is accessible from the junction of Connecticut Route 203 and Connecticut Route 14 in Windham Center and by following Route 14 east for 0.7 miles and turning left onto Back Road. Proceeding down Back Road for 2.5 miles leads to the pond on the left, and there is no parking fee at the park.[12]

References

  1. 1 2 "Bibbins Pond". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
  2. ↑ Legislative Program Review and Investigations Committee (January 23, 2014). "State Parks and Forests: Funding" (PDF). Staff Findings and Recommendations. Connecticut General Assembly. p. A-1. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Air Line Trails State Park Map" (PDF). Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
  4. ↑ "George Dudley Seymour State Park". State Parks and Forests. Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Retrieved December 18, 2015. In all, Seymour contributed to the creation of seven public recreation areas: Beaver Brook, Becket Hill, Bigelow Hollow, Hurd, Millers Pond, Platt Hill, George Dudley Seymour, and Stoddard Hill state parks and Nathan Hale State Forest.
  5. 1 2 "State acquires 60 acres for park at Gardner Lake". The Day (New London, Conn.). January 19, 1955. p. 22. Retrieved May 20, 2014. The Day states that 175 acres were donated, but the State of Connecticut lists only 165 acres in the official publication for 1955. For accuracy, the State of Connecticut's official designation of 165 acres is used.
  6. 1 2 Leary, Joseph (2004). A Shared Landscape: A Guide & History of Connecticut's State Parks & Forests. Friends of the Connecticut State Parks, Inc. p. 147. ISBN 0974662909.
  7. ↑ Connecticut Register and Manual – 1955. State of Connecticut. p. 316.
  8. ↑ Connecticut Register and Manual – 1957. State of Connecticut. p. 404.
  9. ↑ Connecticut Register and Manual – 1960. State of Connecticut. p. 437.
  10. ↑ "Contract Documents For Improvements And Repairs To Bibbins Pond Dam Windham, Connecticut" (PDF). Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 20, 2014. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
  11. 1 2 3 Merly, Ron (2011). Flyfisher's Guide to Connecticut. Wilderness Adventures Press. p. 288.
  12. 1 2 "Beaver Brook State Park". State Parks and Forests. Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
  13. ↑ "Connecticut's Trout Management Progream" (PDF). Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
  14. ↑ "Beaver Brook Pond Boat Launch Windham". DEEP. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
  15. ↑ Mascott, Cynthia (2009). Best Rail Trails New England: More than 40 Rail Trails from Maine to Connecticut. Globe Pequot. p. 46.
  16. ↑ "Beaver Brook Pond Cache". Geocaching.com. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Redmoon's Connecticut Fishing Guide". Redmoon Guides. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
  18. ↑ Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection. (2014). "2014 Angler's Guide – Inland & Marine Fishing".

External links

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