Iron Mountain Preserve

The Nature Conservancy established the Iron Mountain Preserve thanks to an initial  donation of 257 acres in 1974 from Mrs. Walter E. Irving. TNC expanded the preserve as a result of subsequent gifts totaling 26 acres from Brigitta Lieberson and Joseph Gitterman. Later, in 1991, TNC received a gift of 20.3 acres from Vilma Kurzer of Kent to secure the more than 303 acres of land protected and managed by the Kent Land Trust today.

A unique feature of the preserve includes 60- to 100- year old upland oak woods that emerged after a portion of this landscape was cleared first for agricultural use and later to create charcoal for the iron industry. Some signs remain of pits where wood slowly burned in mounds until it became charcoal.

While no longer owned by TNC, the Iron Mountain Preserve remains open to the public and boasts uplands dominated by large sugar maple, ash, red oak and black birch trees. The understory is largely filled with young hardwoods, maple-leaved viburnum and witch hazel.