We’re starting off strong in 2024 with some excellent news in conservation. This month, our stories feature a student partnership with a land trust and town, a major conservation milestone, the construction of a wheelchair-accessible trail, and multiple parcel acquisitions. They remind us of the role that land trusts continue to play in our daily lives, like providing us with a way to take care of our physical and mental health in the winter and giving us a place to donate our Christmas trees to support local wildlife habitat.

These inspiring stories highlight just some of the ways that land trusts contribute to their communities. Land trusts protect core forests, wildlife habitats, historical and cultural sites, and agricultural areas while providing residents with recreational opportunities, and so much more.

P.S. Please keep those #LoveYourCTLandTrust stories and photos coming. Drop them here and we'll take it from there!

“People are excited when they work with students and younger generations and hear different visions for the future from people who are, in essence, the future caretakers of our landscapes.”

Landscape architecture students at UConn have partnered with The Trust for Public Land (TPL), The Simsbury Pollinator Pathway Group, and the Town of Simsbury to develop preservation plans for the 285-acre property known as Meadowood. Conserved in 2021 by TPL and the town, Meadowood is a historic and culturally significant swath of land where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once lived and worked as a student. As part of their LAND4450 capstone project, which began in Spring 2023. the students’ project proposals include adding native meadows, wildlife corridors, recreation opportunities, and farm fields. Their professor, Jill Desimini, also aims to incorporate climate and social equity into the site’s preservation projects…

“This trail will provide a great opportunity for those of all ability levels to go out into the woods and experience nature, which I believe is very important.”

The Harry C. Barnes Memorial Nature Center will soon feature a one-mile wheelchair-accessible trail into the woods. Crews are using recycled plastic to build an elevated wetlands boardwalk for the project. Located at 175 Shrub Road in Bristol and supported by $1.25 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds, the project began in April 2023 and is on track to be completed by April of this year...

The Nature Conservancy transferred a 143-acre property along the upper portions of the Byram River to the Greenwich Land Trust (GLT) in December 2023. Expanding the land trust's total conserved land to over 1,000 acres, this acquisition will preserve ecological diversity in the area for people and local species. To celebrate their milestone, GLT plans to host community engagement initiatives, including guided hikes, educational programs, and outreach activities related to land conservation...

In an article first published in the Middlebury Been Intelligencer, Janine Sullivan-Wiley, an Executive Committee Member for the Middlebury Land Trust (MLT), encourages residents of Connecticut to go for winter hikes at the land trust’s various preserves. She explains that winter hikes are an excellent opportunity to spot wildlife and benefit physical and mental well-being. Janine provides tips for hiking during the winter and offers guidance on MLT’s preserves, including directions on how to get to them, how to traverse through each one, and the type of hiker for which they are best suited...

Regional land trust Avalonia Land Conservancy continues to add acreage to its impressive portfolio of conserved properties in Southeastern Connecticut. In December 2023, the land trust received two donations of land and purchased two other properties within Ledyard, Preston, Griswold, and Groton—all in New London County. The cumulative acreage of the parcels is over 100 acres. These donations help to preserve vital environmental resources such as core forests, wetlands, vernal pools, streams, and wildlife habitats...

Throughout January, volunteers from Southington Land Trust (SLT) have been collecting Christmas tree donations from residents. The trees will be recycled into mulch and used to create cover. Donations directly support wildlife habitat and land conservation efforts in Southington...