Bennett's Pond

This week the Discovery Center Women Hiking Group will begin its twice weekly meetings in Ridgefield's largest open space Bennett's Pond. The 440 acres were acquired by the town via eminent domain in 2001 and conveyed to the State of Connecticut in 2002 to be made into a state park. It is made up of a variety of landscapes from meadows, woodlands, and wetlands to steep ridges. Its most profound feature is the 70-acre pond which is one of the sources of the Saugatuck River. This vital watershed supplies the drinking water for a good portion of lower Fairfield County.

Connecting to Wooster Mountain State Park and Ridgefield's Hemlock Hill/Pine Mountain/Lake Windwing Open Spaces, the area provides a large undeveloped habitat for a wide variety of wildlife. Marble underlies portions of the park which creates buffered soils that support some rare plant species. In the spring, numerous vernal pools provide nursery for woodland amphibians.

It contains 5 miles of hiking trails which range from easy to difficult. If this isn't enough, it connects to the Ives Trail an interconnecting greenway from Ridgefield to Bethel, CT. Bennett's Pond is indeed a town and state treasure.

The DC Women's Hiking Group will start up hiking this week on Tues., Sept. 7th at Bennetts Pond.
We will meet in the parking lot at 9:30am.

Perseid Meteor Shower

August is the time for the most famous of all meteor (falling or shooting star) showers, the Perseids. Beginning in late July and running through about August 22, the Perseids provide the majority of meteors seen by the general public. Coming out of the constellation Perseus, they appear in the northeastern sky usually at about 11 pm and increase in frequency with most appearing in the hours after midnight. On the night of August12/13, their frequency should peak at a rate of 50-80 meteors per hour and then rapidly decline to about 10 per hour by August 15th. This year the moonless sky will provide great viewing.

To view the meteor shower, pick a dark spot away from ground lights and facing the NE. Lie on your back or position yourself so the horizon appears at the edge of your peripheral vision, with star and sky filling out your field of view. Take some time for your eyes to adapt to the dark and avoid lights like flashlights. Bug spray, food, and drinks make the evening more pleasurable. Binoculars are not necessary as your adapted night vision will do just fine. Enjoy!

Women's Hiking Group Thursday, June 17

The group will meet at 9:30 at the upper parking lot of Lewisboro Park on Rte 35 just past NY border. Hike will last one hour.

Women's Hiking Group Tues 6/15

The group will meet Tues, 6/15 at 9:30 am at Lewisboro Park. Take Rte 35 into NY, Lewisboro Park will be on left. Bring a picnic lunch for after the hike.

Women's Hiking Group June 8 & 10

The group will meet Tues (6/8) and Thurs (6/10) this week at 9:30 am and hike at Topstone park in Redding. Directions: Rte 7 to Topstone Rd. Continue over RR tracks to parking area on right.

Women's Hiking Group June 4

The group will meet Thurs, June 3 at 9:30 am at Lake Windwing off South Shore Drive in Ridgefield. (Take Bennett's Farm Rd to South Shore Drive.)