[3] He often brought political colleagues to visit the Refuge, including United States Presidents Coolidge, Taft and Hoover.

In 1912, McLean met Amos Everett George, a Pequot Indian who became the caretaker of his lands, building the trails and huts throughout the Refuge.

Other portions of the Refuge are sandy plains, esker fields and kettle ponds created by the melting glaciers in the Pleistocene period.

Many species of birds including pileated woodpecker, blue-headed vireo, winter wren, hermit thrush and Blackburnian warbler are commonly seen.

[9] Vegetation in the area varies with the terrain, but can include chestnut, oak, beech, birch, maple, and hemlock.