Nature

Experience Nature

We facilitate the stewardship of our natural world through restoration, exploration, and preservation. Through the protection of the open meadows, woods, vital wetlands, and ponds on our site, and by providing year-round exploratory opportunities and multi-generational programming, we encourage visitors to experience the awe and wonder of nature and embrace stewardship of the natural environment.

Biodiverse habitats have been restored on Grace Farms' 80 acres, including native meadows, woodlands, and ponds

Weeks of nature-based programming are offered every year to encourage the public to experience and appreciate nature

2,000+

Trees can be found flourishing throughout the nature preserve

Our Approach

We aim to inspire stewardship of nature on a regional, national, and global scale.

Preserve & Restore

Grace Farms was designed to contribute to the public’s quality of life by providing a peaceful respite that inspires the exploration of wilderness, wildlife, and open space. Grace Farms Foundation has retained the property’s beauty as a rare piece of the Fairfield County landscape. Approximately 77 of the 80 acres at Grace Farms are protected in perpetuity as open meadows, woods, vital wetlands, and ponds.

Certified Wildlife Habitat Garden | National Wildlife Federation

Grace Farms cultivates native plants and follows a range of sustainable practices that provide food, water, and cover for critical wildlife species to raise their young.

Certified Monarch Waystation | Monarch Watch

Monarch Waystations provide resources necessary for monarchs to produce successive generations and sustain their migration.

Member of the Xerces Society Pollinator Protection Plan | Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation

Grace Farms grows pollinator-friendly flowers that provide nest sites, and avoids pesticides. Through educational programs like Living Classroom, Meet the Bees, and nature walks, we also help spread the word on pollinator-friendly land practices.

New Canaan Pollinator Pathway Community Partner

Grace Farms is proudly part of the community-wide effort to provide a wildlife corridor for pollinators and wildlife.

Explore

Nature programming emphasizes multigenerational engagement, encouraging the public to discover the wonders of the natural world through experiential and educational programs. During all seasons, we welcome experts and guides who present native wildlife (e.g., hawks, owls, falcons, and reptiles), teach wilderness survival skills, and guide walks along our nature trails for our visitors. Grace Farms has also become a recognized birding enclave, hosting more than 100 species of birds on-site.

Garden

Our Garden is home to a variety of organic vegetables, fruits, herbs, brambles, and native flowering plants that feed our pollinators.

Native Meadows

Our native meadows are home to countless species of life, including over 100 species of birds, many different species of native bees, and butterflies.

Walking Trails

Grace Farms offers a mile of walking trails that meander around the River building and extend into the biodiverse habitats that make up our landscape.

Meet Horticulture Director Kimberly Kelly

Kim currently serves as member of the Board of Directors of the Connecticut Master Gardener Association and is the President of the Board of Director of the International Association of Butterfly Exhibitors and Suppliers. She brings over 25 years of experience to Grace Farms. During her career, she has fostered inclusive and meaningful ways to connect the public to the natural world, through horticulture, ecology, and regenerative land-use practices using both formal and informal educational programs.

Our Impact

Since our inception in 2015, we have established programs and partnerships that aim to preserve and restore our natural world and encourage us to experience nature.

Our Nature Initiative has raised awareness and accelerated change around some of our most intractable environmental issues, building an impactful model to ensure a sustainable future.

116

Species of birds have been identified at Grace Farms, an increase from 40 species in 2015, as a result of restoring our native meadows

20,000

Pounds of trash have been collected along Norwalk River and Five Mile River during our annual Source to Sound river clean ups

130,000

Pounds of carbon are sequestered from the atmosphere each year by trees on Grace Farms' property

2023

The National Wildlife Federation certified Grace Farms as a Wildlife Habitat and a Monarch Way Station by Monarch Watch.org. We also signed the Pollinator Pledge with the Xerces Society, an international nonprofit that protects the natural world by conserving invertebrates such as bees and their habitats.

2022

After converting 70% of our landscape from mowed lawn to natural meadows in 2021, and with restoration of the land, over 100 species of birds found their way brought back to the area including the Barred owl, Pileated woodpecker, Nashville Warbler, Song Sparrow, and more!

2021

Grace Farms provided written testimony to the Connecticut State Legislature in support of Public Act No. 21-52, an Act Prohibiting the Import, Sale, and Possession of African Elephants, Lions, Leopards, Black Rhinoceros, White Rhinoceros, and Giraffes. The act became law and serves as another means to address the modern-day threats of illegal wildlife trafficking and unethical trophy hunting.

2020

Celebrated the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day with an exploration of the hopeful advancements from the past five decades.

2019

Joined the local and regional Pollinator Pathway initiative, a nation-wide movement that protects and establishes essential native habitats for pollinators, including bees and butterflies.

2018

Established relationships to advocate for the preservation of open space and restoration of native habitats with organizations such as the Trust for Public Land and The Nature Conservancy. Launched a collaboration with the Justice Initiative to develop international training programs to combat environmental crimes.

2017

Brought back the American Kestrel to Grace Farms by restoring native meadows and installing nesting boxes. The Kestrel, the smallest and most common falcon in North America, is beneficial to the environment and farmers due to its consumption of crop pests.

2016

Collaborated with our Arts Initiative to invite contemporary artist Kysa Johnson to create an immersive installation, Landscape Continuum, as part of our Earth Day celebration.

2015

Established year-round free nature programing for people of all ages, offering exploratory opportunities of the natural world within our 80-acre preserve.