More than a thousand white plastic pipes stood in a man-made pygmy forest across The Preserve landscape one year ago. That was before the 963-acre parcel became public open space. Now most of the unsightly percolation test (“perc”) pipes are gone, thanks to a herculean pipe removal effort undertaken by Chris Cryder and his team of volunteers.

“Of the 1,400 perc pipes, 1,350 have now been removed. The remaining 50 pipes should be removed by spring,” said Cryder of the town’s Ad Hoc Preserve Committee. “The last ones are the hardest to get to.”

The perc pipes were originally installed by developers to test drainage rates, a key element in determining how many homes with septic systems the thousand-acre parcel could bear as well as where to best locate each home. The results of these tests allow a developer to develop a subdivision design and prepare a land use application. Had the subdivision of The Preserve won the needed local land use approvals, the perc pipes would have been removed during the project construction phase. When the necessary permits were denied and the land instead was acquired by the town and the state as open space, however, the unnatural pipes were left standing and untouched.

With the land to be preserved as open space, the pipes had to be removed. Accomplishing this task in a forested setting without removing trees or brush was challenge without any heavy machinery. With dedicated volunteers willing to march across every inch of The Preserve, though, removing the pipes became possible, if not easy.

To remove an installed and embedded pipe, the volunteers had to manually cut off the vertical pipe section a few inches below the surface. The three- to four-foot-long pipes to be discarded then had to be collected and removed from the land. The pipe sections were then assembled in bundles and transported by trailer to the town’s transfer station, where they were recycled.

The goal of the work effort was to allow natural forest processes to return each pipe’s location to a natural state.

“By far, there are two individuals who have spent countless hours on their own, removing the majority of the pipes,” said Cryder, “Stuart Warner of Essex, and Bob Czepiel of Old Saybrook. Then we have had the Essex Land Trust, Boy Scout Troop 51 of Old Saybrook, and the Southeast Connecticut Adventurers group all assist in the removal of the pipes.”

Making Plans

Two parallel paths have been followed to ready the 963-acre parcel for its dual future roles as open space for passive recreational users and for habitat and species protection. In the initial phase, trash and perc pipes had to be removed to return the land to its natural state. Next, the state and the town had to learn more about the resources that lie within the property and their location before final trail routes are developed and posted.

“Currently, the State of Connecticut, the Town of Old Saybrook, and The Preserve Ad Hoc Committee are embarking on a two- to three year master planning process, where a management and public use plan will be developed for the thousand-acre forest. [This] includes a study of possible forestry and hunting on the site,” said Cryder. “Additionally, a comprehensive four-season plant and animal inventory, along with the identification of sensitive habitat communities, will be completed.”

Cryder explained that data collected about the forest, plant, and sensitive areas will help to guide the Ad Hoc Committee and the state to create final trail routes. The goal would be to avoid sensitive areas needing protection while designing new trail routes that lead to great vistas or interesting places not currently part of the temporary trail system.

“To date, the public has shown interest in opportunities for hiking, hunting, biking, horse-riding, cross-country skiing, and primitive camping. Each of these uses will be studied for possible incorporation into the master plan,” said Cryder.

Preserve Access Now

When will 963 acres of The Preserve be ready for hikers and bikers to use? The answer is now—but recreational users should still use caution and bring a compass with them, since more than 24 miles of trails criss-cross the site and most but not all of the temporary trail markings are now in place.

“The Preserve Management Committee [Will Holchholzer of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and First Selectman Carl Fortuna, Jr.] have agreed to open certain trails as temporary trails. [These] will connect to new trails recently built by the Essex Land Trust on their portion of The Preserve,” said Cryder. “Jack Slimon, Eagle Scout candidate of Old Saybrook Troop 51, along with other volunteers, has been marking the temporary trail system and should be completed in February.”

A map of the temporary trail system is currently being developed with the help of the Trust for Public Land. A map box and Preserve sign soon will be placed at The Preserve parking area at the northern end of Ingham Hill Road in Old Saybrook. The sign and map box should be installed in March.

There are three main access points at which recreational users can park their vehicles and access The Preserve’s trail system. The first is in Old Saybrook at the end of Ingham Hill Road. An unimproved parking area there can accommodate several vehicles.

The second entry point is in Essex at the end of Essex’s Ingham Hill Road. A metal gate was installed across the dirt road entry point to prevent unauthorized motorized vehicle access to the open space. A sign at Route 153 at Ingham Hill Road points the way to the 70 acre Land Trust tract.

The third entry point is in Westbrook via a four-acre Preserve property on Route 153 at Rintoul Pond. The Preserve Management Committee has set as a priority to develop a lightly improved parking area for this entry point on a flat lot on the east side of Route 153. Currently, access to this future parking area is blocked by several large rocks. Access to the driveway that connects to The Preserve access road is blocked by a metal gate. Until the parking area is ready for use, these rocks, placed to prevent unauthorized motor vehicle access to The Preserve, will remain in place.

On the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s website www.ct.gov/deep/cwp is a searchable database with maps of state forests, parks, and open space. The Preserve is now included in this list.