The Town of Stratford is very fortunate indeed to be one of the few towns or cities in the nation to have its very own forest. Located at the end of Peters Lane, off James Farm Road, this beautiful 401-acre forest is part of our town's excellent park system.

Roosevelt Forest was set up during the depression in the 1930's from land purchased by then Stratford Town Manager, Donald D. Sammis. It was developed, in large part, through President Franklin D. Roosevelt's W.P.A. program, designed to provide jobs for legitimate public projects. The park was established to provide recreational opportunities for townspeople, and to protect the watershed, wildlife, and beauty of this fine example of mixed deciduous forest.

Included in the forest system is a lovely pond, various wetlands, and, for the user's benefit, there are playgrounds, picnic tables, picnic shelters, cooking pits, walking paths, and a dog park. Hiking, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing are all enjoyed here.

Without a doubt, the outstanding feature of the forest is its natural flora and fauna. Roosevelt Forest is a wildlife sanctuary, and it has most species one would expect to find in a typical Connecticut mixed deciduous forest, including both coniferous (pines, spruces, etc.) and deciduous broadleaf hardwoods (maples, oaks, etc.). Lovely trails, some marked, lead one to the wonders of nature. Deer, small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and much of Connecticut's birdlife can be observed within the forest. Trees, ferns, and wildflowers abound.