Johnson’s Pond

Old Man Johnson
Johnson’s Pond, Hamden Land Conservation Trust
May 2013

This is a Hamden Land Conservation Trust property.

This property’s access point is along a residential road with neatly kept lawns and what is probably a great neighborhood for Halloween. It is in the shadow of the Wilbur Cross and borders Lake Whitney on the far side.

I have no idea if there ever was an “Old Man Johnson” yelling at the local youths, but there must’ve been, right?

I got burned back at a previous Land Trust property with a fake glacial kettle (which turned out to be an Olin Corporation ammunition test structure). Apparently this place has a real kettle:

Containing a glacial-kettle pond surrounded by woods, this property was acquired with generous neighborhood support in 2007. This 3.02 acre property in Spring Glen is bordered on three sides by residential properties on Thornton, Greenway, and Ingram Streets and on the fourth side by Regional Water Authority watershed land along the Mill River. The pond itself is shallow. Covered in summer with buttonbush and duckweed, it freezes readily in the winter, making an inviting spot for ice-skating.

I walked around the property for a while and checked out Lake Whitney. I was impressed with the cleanliness of the woods which are, again, a literal stone’s throw from a highway and a middle class neighborhood full of kids.

If I wanted to be cynical, I’d say that’s because the kids these days aren’t venturing into the woods.

And that makes me sad, especially because it’s a rather pretty parcel.

Hamden Land Conservation Trust
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