Miller Farm Preserve​
The 87-acre Miller Farm Preserve has an abundance of oak, beech, and tulip trees; spicebush, winterberry, and blueberry shrubs; and ferns, mosses, and wildflowers. It is a wonderful place for a quiet hike and birdwatching.
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The Preserve was once managed as a woodlot by the family of Peggy Nichols. The Land Trust purchased the acreage from Peggy and her husband Larry, who continue to reside on adjacent family land.
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East Haddam Land Trust identified the Miller Farm as a conservation priority because it is an ideal habitat for woodland creatures. It contains streams and wooded wetlands for amphibians, and ample native berries, insects, and nesting spots for woodland birds.
The Preserve rests within Audubon Connecticut’s Lyme Forest Block Important Bird Area, acreage critical to overwintering and migratory birds. It is in the Roaring Brook and Eightmile River Watersheds and thereby protects upland streams in the Connecticut River watershed. The Preserve is also close to the Land Trust's Sheepskin Hollow Preserve and the Town of East Haddam’s Lena Preserve, making it part of a larger greenway area so critical for the continued vitality of native plants and animals.
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The Land Trust relied on multiple sources to complete this purchase. Grants from the Bafflin Foundation and the State of Connecticut Open Space and Watershed program covered a bit more than half the cost, with the remaining dollars coming from Audubon Connecticut, the Eightmile River Wild & Scenic Watershed, individual donations to the Miller Farm Capital Campaign as well as from the Land Trust’s land acquisition fund.
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The Preserve has marked trails and signage at the two trailheads. Parking is available in two locations, near the Tater Hill Road trailhead for 2-3 vehicles and at the AP Gates Road entrance for 3-4 vehicles. Overflow parking is available on the grassy knoll at the Tater Hill Cemetery at the intersection of Tater Hill and AP Gates Roads. The Tater Hill trailhead is a short walk northeast on the left side of Tater Hill Road.
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Counting steps as part of your exercise routine?
Preserve-like terrain averages about 2080 steps per mile. The length of each trail is listed on the printed maps for each preserve available at the trailheads and downloadable from the interactive trail map and from each preserve webpage.
