You’ll find the stone fence with a plaque placed on a rock – a dedication to Fred and Rosa Rettich, who donated the land to the Madison Land Conservation Trust. Look to your left (north to the sound of the Railroad trains and cars on Interstate 95) and also the Hammonasset River. Pull into the driveway off of River Road, past the Rettich Preserve sign on your left and park on the gravel driveway. To get involved, contact us at on the preserve There is still much to do to keep the Rettich Preserve open to the public. And efforts are underway to attract VIP visitors – barn owls, bluebirds and pollinator species.Īll of this is made possible through the hard work of volunteers and your generous donations – as a private organization we do not receive state or town funding. Walking trails are in place for public enjoyment. And we have begun to restore vegetation to its natural state by clearing invasive plant species and allowing the fields to rest. Volunteers have cleared the land of unsafe buildings, debris and chemical hazards. With your help, we’ve prepared the property for public use and conservation. Exploring this land is like pulling off the wrapping paper bit by bit, and discovering one treasure after another.” Mike Maloney - former MLCT President It was their vision to preserve the land as open space for future generations.Īll of us who live in or near Madison are the lucky recipients of this incredible gift. The Rettichs had no children and didn’t want their beautiful, riverside farm to be broken up by developers. Over the years, they added various structures, including corn cribs, a cow shed, and chicken coops.

Fred and Rosa kept a garden, fruit trees, grapes, chickens, and a few milk cows.

For more than 100 years the property was a single-family working farm. Fred’s parents, Frank and Anna Rettich, purchased the land in 1906, after emigrating from Germany. The Rettich Preserve was donated to the Land Trust by Fred and Rosa Rettich in 2014.

Cardinal land trust