September Newsletter

A few weeks ago, a group of NCLC members joined me for a preview hike at the future Surdan Mountain Preserve in Sharon, one of four new public nature preserves NCLC is working to open.

We walked through the forest to the scenic pinnacle and looked across a vast landscape of 23,000 acres of contiguous conserved land stretching from the Catskills in New York to the Berkshires in Massachusetts, and beyond. From the summit, the larger conservation story comes into view as one property becomes part of thousands of acres of protected land across the region.

This regional conservation vision is central to NCLC's work. As Connecticut's largest land trust, NCLC works across Litchfield and northern Fairfield Counties to conserve land at the scale nature requires—across property lines, town boundaries, and watersheds. Large, intact natural areas give plants and animals the room they need to move and adapt, protect the clean drinking water we depend on, and help both people and nature remain healthy and resilient. Protecting an individual property matters. Protecting it as part of a larger conservation vision can help sustain the natural systems on which all people and wildlife depend.

That same idea is behind the Cooper Hill Conservation Alliance's recent award, one of NCLC's conservation partnerships, and featured in this newsletter. Land trusts and communities can accomplish far more when we work together across property lines and town boundaries to protect the forests, farms, streams and rivers, and wildlife habitat that connect our region.

You will have a chance to experience the benefits of this collaborative work at our Annual Picnic on Saturday, October 3, from 12–3 p.m. at the future 650-acre Milde Farm Preserve in Litchfield. We will have hayrides, live music, a free pizza truck, face painting for children, and opportunities to explore a place we are working to conserve and prepare for public access. More importantly, it is a chance to spend time together on the land and see firsthand the lasting conservation you make possible.

Whether you have supported NCLC for decades or are just getting to know us, I hope you will join us. Registration is free and open to the public. Bring a friend, bring the kids, and bring your dog. Our rain date is October 4.

I hope to see you soon.

Catherine M. Rawson

Executive Director

From Salisbury to Sheffield

Celebrating a Shared Achievement

Photo Credit: Connecticut Land Conservation Council

On September 8, members and supporters of the Cooper Hill Conservation Alliance gathered at Salisbury Association's Tom's Hill Preserve to celebrate the Connecticut Land Conservation Council's (CLCC) Special Award for Excellence in Conservation Collaboration.

The event brought together the full coalition—Salisbury Association Land Trust, Housatonic Valley Association, The Nature Conservancy (CT & MA), Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy (NCLC), Sheffield Land Trust, Mass Audubon, and The Trustees of Reservations—in the very landscape their partnership protected: more than 1,200 acres of farmland, forest, and habitat linking Salisbury, CT, and Sheffield, MA.

For NCLC, this project reflects a commitment we take seriously: strengthening the conservation community to accelerate the pace and scale of conservation across our region. Our role centered on supporting fellow member organizations and building awareness and momentum behind this landscape-scale effort—conservation at this scale depends as much on strong relationships as on any single acquisition.

Standing at the trailhead of Tom's Hill itself, it was a fitting place to mark a huge conservation win and the power of working across state lines for shared land protection goals.

Join Us on October 3 for NCLC's Annual Picnic!

Kick off the fall season with an afternoon of outdoor fun at NCLC’s Annual Picnic on October 3! Explore one of our newest public nature preserves, take a hayride, enjoy live music and a free pizza truck lunch, and let the kids get creative with face painting. There’s something for everyone—and plenty of time to simply enjoy being outside together.

Saturday, October 3

12 - 3 p.m.

Milde Farm Preserve, 165 Town Farm Rd., Litchfield

Rain date: October 4

Free and Open to the Public! Registration required.

Generously sponsored by Haley Ward, Litchfield Hills Nursery, O’Keiff Orthodontics, Sensory on Wheels, The Green Spot, and William Raveis Lifestyles Realty.

Meet Your Greens at

Norbrook Farm Brewery

Wednesday, September 30

Colebrook

5 - 7 p.m.

Volunteer Trail Crew Day at

West Briggs Hill

Friday, November 6

Sherman

9 a.m. - 12 p.m.

NCLC Annual Meeting at

Litchfield Community Center

Saturday, November 14

Litchfield

10 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Meet Your Greens at

Litchfield Distillery

Thursday, December 10

Litchfield

5 - 7 p.m.

Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy is a nonprofit regional land trust.

As a guardian of natural and working lands, public recreation areas, and drinking water resources, NCLC permanently protects 14,400 acres (and growing) of vast, connected natural areas in Litchfield and northern Fairfield Counties.