Komlo Preserve: A Sanctuary for People and Wildlife

As autumn arrives, nature begins busily preparing for winter! Our “Autumn On Our Preserves” series by CVRLT volunteer Michelle Bissett captures the many inspiring sights and sounds to enjoy this season on CVRLT’s preserves!

A wildlife refuge behind a parking lot? Komlo Preserve is one of the hidden gems of New Fairfield. This 26-acre preserve is tucked away behind the Nuvance Health Medical building on Route 37. Donated by Joseph Komlo in 2004, its man-made Dunham Pond and surrounding forest have become a home for many species of wildlife.

As you enter from the parking lot, a beautiful meadow welcomes you. Striking goldenrods greet you with a vibrant yellow splash. Tall grasses wave gracefully, and an ADA-accessible walkway invites you to sit on the bench in front of the pond and soak in the views. New Fairfield’s Boy Scout Troop 137 built the ADA-accessible walkway to make Komlo accessible by people of all abilities and ages!

Komlo Preserve is an ecological oasis sandwiched between local shops and a medical building. Dunham Pond, created on the site of a 1950s gravel quarry, is now home to wildlife such as heron, beavers, ducks, geese, and more. Once you enter the heart of the preserve, you forget that buildings and cars exist. The forested wetland takes you through a tunnel of green growth and leads you to inviting benches by a babbling brook.

Features of Komlo Preserve include: dog-friendly hiking/walking trails, fishing, waterfront access, and parking. This preserve reminds us that conservation areas don’t need to be excluded from our modern landscape.

To help us ensure that Komlo Preserve can continue to thrive, click here to volunteer with us or donate here to CVRLT. Thank you!