Nothing is more fun than family time, except maybe family time out in nature. I was so excited to explore the Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park for the first time with Papa (Joe) and Mama (Nicole). As we roamed around the Preserve, I discovered there’s a bunch of awesome stuff here.

There are more than 2,500 acres of land and eight miles of trails for dogs and their humans to enjoy. The area we wandered on was a Boy Scout camp a long time ago. A much longer time ago, this area was homeland of the Mohican, Mohawk, and Abenaki people.  It is also home to many kinds of animals.

Some of the creatures here need help and protection to survive; like the Karner blue butterfly and Blanding’s turtle. These creatures are important to our environment. Seeing them, along with deer, woodchucks, geese, ducks, porcupines, and racoons is exciting!

There are lots of other fun things to see and do here. The Cornell Hill Fire Tower is amazing. It can be a little scary to climb, but you will love the view from the top. The Delegan Pond is a cool place to hang out with your family. Kids can go fishing and see lots of critters like frogs, tadpoles, and snakes. I saw Uncle Ray and my friends Jack and Emma there. Hiking and biking on the trails is great exercise and the fun continues during the winter too. Humans can snowshoe or cross-country ski on the trails!

The staff and volunteers at the Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park have all kinds of fun activities for kids and grownups. Art in Nature, Pond Explorations, Karner Blue Butterfly Walks and Preschool Nature Hours are just a few of the exciting programs.

An important lesson I’ve learned from my adventures out in nature is, grownups and kids don’t need more stuff. What they really need are more adventures together.

Please come on out to visit the Preserve and if you see me on the trails, please say hi and pet me!

Written by Moose Murphy, with a little help from Papa Joe (Murphy) and Uncle Ray (O’Conor).