The 144-acre Hatch Preserve was donated to the Western  Foothills Land Trust in 2016. Two adjacent tracts were donated in 2017 and 2019 by families and individuals who wish for their lands to remain undeveloped, managed for wildlife, forest health, and gentle recreation. Together with the town-owned parcel, 219 acres are protected.

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In 2017 The Trust’s forester worked to design a harvest that would also create corridors for non-motorized recreational trails leading to new viewpoints from the mountain. Some twitch trails are regenerating to forest, while selected corridors are to be actively managed as trails for hiking, mountain biking, snowshoeing, nordic skiing, and nature observation.

 

The trail names honor the early Hamlin family members who settled this section of Waterford: Eleazar, Cyrus, America, Africa, Europe, and Hannibal Hamlin.