KENT, Conn.—Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy (NCLC) has received three significant grant awards to support the acquisition and permanent protection of three properties totaling 5,425 acres.
A $1.3 million grant through the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection’s Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition (OSWA) Grant Program is the largest of the recent awards.
The other two grants, totaling $348,500, were awarded by the Connecticut Land Conservation Council’s Land Easement and Acquisition Program (LEAP).
The $1.3 million grant will help protect the Surdan Mountain Preserve in Sharon, a 108-acre parcel that adjoins the 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail corridor. It will be accessible to all when the preserve opens to the public. The property includes a scenic view stretching 20 miles to the summit of Bear Hill, the highest peak in Connecticut; to the peak of Mount Frissell in Massachusetts, and Mount Race in New York State.
The Colebrook Reservoir Conservation Easement will be supported by a $250,000 LEAP grant award. The 5,200-acre acquisition of a permanent conservation easement on this parcel protects Connecticut’s largest remaining untapped drinking water reservoir, which directly feeds the designated National Wild and Scenic Farmington River. The easement area provides refuge for 12 species classified as threatened, endangered or of special concern.
In Sherman, the Strauss Morrissey Preserve, also supported by LEAP with a $98,500 grant award, will be expanded to a 259-acre public recreation area following the acquisition of the 117-acre Glen Brook property. The new parcel provides opportunities for expanded and improved public parking and hiking trails, while safeguarding a mosaic of habitats including mixed hardwood forest, early successional habitat, pollinator meadows, wooded wetlands, and two vernal pools.
“We are incredibly grateful to all our partners for helping to make these acquisitions possible, especially during a time of funding uncertainty,” said NCLC Executive Director Catherine Rawson. “We look forward to continuing the work necessary to complete these acquisitions and ensure these lands remain a source of clean water, thriving ecosystems, and access to nature for generations to come.”
Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy (NCLC), the largest land trust in Connecticut, protects 13,400 acres in Litchfield and northern Fairfield Counties. It merged with Brookfield Open Space Legacy in 2019 and Naromi Land Trust in 2020. NCLC’s conserved lands include 22 public hiking preserves, 49 working farms, 57 miles of rivers and streams, and over 3,000 acres of habitat for rare and endangered species.
For more information about NCLC and how you can support conservation efforts in our region, please visit ctland.org.