Tucked away, deep in the heart of Sprague, are 270 acres of breathtaking land so unique and so preciously beautiful that residents who long to share such wealth with others are also slightly tempted to keep the secret for themselves.

The Sprague Land Preserve, formerly known as the Mukluk Preserve, was purchased by the Town of Sprague in 2005, following a referendum that stopped the land from being sold to a local gravel company and prohibited development . A Land Acquisition grant from the state’s Department of Environmental Protection assisted with the purchase of the land, and now, from dawn to sunset, residents and visitors are welcome at the preserve.

On Jan. 17, a dozen people attended a hike on the community’s land – locals and visitors from Ledyard and even as far as Brooklyn, N.Y. came to experience “Winter Wanderings” with Don Boushee , chairman of the town’s Conservation Commission, and his wife, Kathleen, a Master Wildlife Conservationist.

“Winter Wanderings” is the “umbrella event [which] will help ease the winter doldrums and celebrates the chilly season by showcasing fun-filled and exciting adventures offered throughout the 35 towns of The Last Green Valley,” said Boushee.

“We’re a community of people who love this,” he said. “I always love the story , how people came together and saved a piece of land.” Later he added, “I think it was a great decision for the town to buy this. It makes the town special.”

Resident Pat Riley is extremely dedicated to the land at the Sprague Preserve , “This area is so important,” she said, “I come in here all the time... it’s a unique piece of land in a unique setting ... the river valley brings in different kinds of wildlife,” she continued, “You’d think you were in Vermont or New Hampshire, and you’re in Baltic.”

For nearly two and a half hours, the group trekked through the woods, enjoying the scenery, the comfortable weather and the camaraderie. Occasionally, one member of the group would call out excitedly and all would stop to admire the animal tracks in the snow, each guessing what animal might have left the telltale prints. Identified that day were rabbit, deer, fisher cat and even bobcat.

Particularly impressed with the snowy, woodland scene was Brooklyn, N.Y.’s 7-year-old Jack who was visiting family in town. Jack, who turns 8 on Jan. 22, was very pleased with all of the snow here in Connecticut and strongly believed that New Yorkers, who dislike snow very much, he said, shovel up all of their snow and bring it here.

Jack planned to take home a souvenir with him from one of the half-frozen waterfalls that awed onlookers who hiked on Sunday – an icicle that he believed in no uncertain terms would make the trip home with him. “There are no icicles in New York,” he said, firmly.

If you missed the Sprague Preserve hike but are interested in learning about native animal identification, spend some time with Kathleen Boushee at the Grist Mill on Feb. 7 at 1 p.m. All ages are welcome !

To see what else “Winter Wanderings” has coming up in your area, visit www. thelastgreenvalley.org.

The Sprague Preserve is open to hikers and, new this year, is also open to hunters of deer and pheasant.

Visit www.ctsprague.org for more information .