Westside Nature Preserve
For the most recent photos refer
to the web site www.wcsu.edu/wnptoday.
The Westside Nature Preserve (WNP) is a 33 acre parcel
of eastern deciduous woodland/wetland found on the Westside Campus of
Western Connecticut State University.
The primary purpose of the WNP is to set aside a portion
of the locally diverse fauna and flora for future generations. Subsidiary
purposes are to provide an outdoor laboratory for studies of the environment
and to be an educational resource for the University community and the
larger community in which the University resides.
Where
in the world is the WNP?
The entrance to the Westside Campus is off Mill Plain
Road, in Danbury, Connecticut. If you are coming on I-84 from the West
(New York State), take Exit 2, turn left at the first light and right at
the second. This will put you on Mill Plain Road going into Danbury- the
campus entrance is on the left, across frop the Stop 'n Shop supermarket.
If you are coming on I-84 from the East, take Exit 4, turn right at the
light and this will put you on Mill Plain Road going away from Danbury-
the campus entrance is on the right, across from the Stop 'n Shop supermarket.
Gateway
to the WNP in summer
Gateway
to the WNP in fall.
Gateway
to the WNP in spring.
Gateway
to the WNP late summer.
Gateway
to the WNP in winter.
Gateway
to the WNP in winter, again.
A Tale of two Valleys..........
The
beauty of winter. 
The
hope of spring.
The entrance to the Westside Campus is University Boulevard-
go to the very end of this road and park. Opposite the end of the road
is a gate. To your right is a dirt road which parallels a utility clearcut.
Take the dirt road to the right and walk along next to the utility clearcut-
if you click on the first gateway icon, above, you will see what you will
be walking to the left of. At the top of the hill the dirt road (do not
take it) goes off into the woods at the left; follow the path down the
clearcut. In less than 100 yards, you should see the entrance to the WNP
on your right- a sign and a kiosk are at the beginning of the trail (the
first hundred feet or so have woodchips); see the icon below, clearcut
in winter.
If you follow the trail, always turning left, you will
be at the dirt road you previously left behind. Take the road to your left,
which gradually becomes a moderate hill. When you reach the clearcut again
follow the dirt road to the right and back to your car. The trail, including
the dirt road, is 0.75 miles- give yourself at least an hour.
Views of parts of the WNP
Clearcut
in winter
When you see the above view (or its counterparts during
the other seasons of the year) you should be ready to make a right into
the entrance of the WNP.
Valley
with stream in winter
Cliffs
in winter, side view
Cliffs
in winter, frontal view
The flat region just beneath the cliffs is the Wildflower
Amphitheater (see above icon). In the spring you will find Jack-in-the-Pulpit
and Bloodroot here; on the face of the cliffs you will find Trillium and
Wild Ginger; on top of the cliffs you will find Hepatica and Anemone (Rue
and Wood). In addition to these flowering plants, the Wildflower Amphitheater
has Christmas Fern, Marginal Woodfern, and Maidenhair Fern; near the top
of the cliffs you will find a few specimens of the fern, Common Polypody.
The WNP Brook
The Westside Brook is a precious resource of the University.
It originates in springs on campus, then flows northward until it passes
through the Nature Preserve and leaves campus. This means that the University
has the ability to control the quality of Westside Brook's water until
it leaves campus- no one is upstream of us and so it is unlikely that anyone
else will pollute it. Recent bioassays and chemical analyses demonstrate
that the quality of water is very good- it is our responsibility to safeguard
its future.
WNP
WNP Brook
Vertebrate Animals
Common vertebrate animals on the Westside Campus include
deer, racoons, squirrels, chipmunks, numerous species of birds (including
wild turkeys), snakes (very few, unfortunately), and amphibians. The amphibians
include frogs, toads and salamanders. The frogs and toads include species
of the genera, Rana, Hyla and Bufo.
WNP
Animals
Flowering Plants
WNP
Flowering Plants
Insects
WNP
Insects
Fungi
WNP
Mushrooms
Through The Microscope
Microscopic
WNP
Research
WNP
Water Analysis
Ferns
Ferns
The WNP Trail
On
the trail again......
Frank J. Dye, Ph.D. - Director of the Westside Nature Preserve
email address: dye@wcsu.ctstateu.edu
Where
in the world is the WNP?
