(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that his administration is awarding $14.3 million in state funding to aid in the purchase and protection of more than 2,270 acres of open space through 25 properties in 22 towns and cities across Connecticut. Additionally, $725,353 is being awarded to support the creation of six new community green spaces.
These funds are being provided through the state’s Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Grant Program (OSWA) and the Urban Green and Community Gardens Grant Program (UGCG), both of which are administered by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP).
“Open space is a big contributor to our great quality of life here in Connecticut, and we are excited to help all these communities improve access to the outdoors with these funds,” Governor Lamont said. “These community assets help our residents stay active and healthy by providing free recreational opportunities while also helping to improve air and water quality. Open space makes Connecticut a great place to live, work, and play.”
A Connecticut state law (C.G.S. Section 23-8) sets a goal of protecting 673,210 acres of the state’s land base (21%) as open space. It calls for 320,576 acres (10%) to be held by DEEP as part of the state’s system of parks, forests, fisheries, and natural resource management areas, and 352,634 acres (11%) to be acquired by DEEP’s partners, which include municipalities, nonprofit land conservation organizations, and water companies.
As of December 31, 2024, DEEP estimates that its partners held approximately 255,169 acres, or 72.4% of their share of the state’s open space goal, and that DEEP held approximately 263,969 acres or 82.34% of its share. In total, 519,138 acres have been preserved (77.11% of the total goal), leaving an additional 154,072 acres remaining to meet the 21% open space goal.
“Since the state’s open space program began in 1998, more than $190 million in state funding has been awarded to municipalities, nonprofit land conservation organizations, and water companies to assist in the protection of more than 48,000 acres of publicly accessible land,” DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes said. “From large tracts of land to small pocket parks, this group of projects benefits a variety of communities across the state. DEEP is excited to see recent program changes bringing new communities and partners to the table.”
In recent years, DEEP and the state legislature have made changes to both programs to remove barriers to participation and enable more communities across the state to benefit. These updates include allowing OSWA applicants to seek reimbursement for incidental costs associated with land acquisition, expanding UGCG eligibility to nonprofit organizations, and extending UGCG eligibility to more communities across the state. This year, 10 of the 31 awardees across the two programs took advantage of recent program changes, and DEEP hopes those numbers will only increase in the years to come.
Today’s grants are the 27th grant round under both programs. DEEP has opened the application period for the 28th grant round for both programs, and the deadline to submit applications is November 3, 2025. For grant application materials and instructions, visit portal.ct.gov/deep/open-space/open-space.
The complete list of grants included in the 27th grant round for both programs is as follows:
Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Grants
Project Name: Fontanella Property
Sponsor: Town of Berlin
Location: 0 Chamberlain Highway, Berlin
Grant Amount: $61,750.00
Size: 15.74 Acres
Description: This 15.74-acre property has an address of 0 Chamberlain Highway in South Kensington. It is contiguous to the town’s 420-acre Blue Hills Conservation Area. The town will add a parking area by the south end of Summit Wood Drive, providing access to a scenic loop trail which the Town plans to connect to the Metacomet Trail, southerly of the subject. This acquisition expands the Blue Hills Conservation Area with additional scenic traprock ridgeline along the Metacomet Trail, which is part of a larger open space corridor from DEEP’s Hatchery Brook Conservation Area to the north, through Berlin and into Meriden.
Project Name: Hoppers-Birge Pond Nature Preserve Expansion
Sponsor: City of Bristol
Location: Perkins Street, Bristol
Grant Amount: $420,000.00 + $8,700.00 in incidental costs
Size: 10.69 Acres
Description: This 10-acre parcel is southerly of the town-owned Roberts Dog Park and westerly of the town’s Pigeon Hill Preserve (a prior OSWA grant) a/k/a Hoppers-Birge Pond Nature Preserve. This addition will contribute to the viewshed, the trail system and unique geology of the area. It contains essential elements of ridgeline (glacial esker) and hiking trails, as well as part of a large glacial formation known as a kettle (locally referred to as “Hoppers”). A section of the Old Colonial Road, an historic native American trail and colonial road, runs through the property. Several endangered and species of concern are present on the property.
Project Name: Killingworth Turnpike Open Space (Greystone Property)
Sponsor: Clinton Land Conservation Trust (CLCT)
Location: Killingworth Turnpike (CT Route 81), Clinton
Grant Amount: $103,350.00
Size: 23.57 Acres
Description: This 23.57-acre property adds to an existing 150-acre open space corridor. It is adjacent to property owned by Eversource and other CLCT protected open space. Indian River flows through the southwest portion of the property, and it is in the Indian River Watershed. Preservation of this property protects the inland wetland resources that contribute to Connecticut Water Company’s public water supply. CLCT plans to create a loop trail on this property which will pass through Eversource property and connect to other CLCT property and the designated parking area for this parcel. CLCT and Eversource are collaborating on the public access trail system. The property contains unique landscapes such as open areas with native grasses, rocky outcrops and a Class A waterbody, and is situated between two NDDB areas. It expands community access to large, uninterrupted
natural areas and trails. The property abuts Route 81 along a public bus route, expanding access to visitors using public transportation.
Project Name: Cobble Forest
Sponsor: Cornwall Conservation Trust, Inc. (CCT)
Location: CT Route 128, Cornwall
Grant Amount: $122,200.00
Size: 41.78 Acres
Description: This forested and scenic ridgeline property contains Heffers Brook, a high-quality cold-water stream that flows into Mill Brook, a tributary of the Housatonic River. The property rises 330 feet from Heffers Brook along its frontage, up to the rocky slopes of The Cobble. This purchase will create a 332-acre forest block including CCT’s Day Preserve, Walker Preserve, and the Housatonic State Forest. The forested slopes support a mix of northern transitional forest hardwoods and conifers, and the complex terrain includes a stream, a ridgeline, rock outcrops, coarse woody debris, and Statewide Important Farmland Soils. The forest, stream and rugged terrain are excellent habitat for interior forest nesting birds and northwestern forest-dwelling wildlife. The Housatonic Heritage Area’s Hou-Bike Trail and Housatonic Covered Bridge Trail pass along the property
frontage. The blue-blazed Mohawk Trail, Appalachian Trail, and Housatonic River are nearby. A parking area on Route 128 will provide access to the trail taking hikers up to The Cobble summit and scenic overlook and connect to trails on CCT’s Day Preserve.
Project Name: Furnace Brook Forest
Sponsor: Cornwall Conservation Trust, Inc. (CCT)
Location: Furnace Brook Road (CT Route 4), Cornwall
Grant Amount: $195,000.00
Size: 90 Acres
Description: This forested ridgeline parcel is on the slopes of Dean Hill, across the road from the Wyantenock State Forest. It links to CCT’s Furnace Brook Preserve (2018 OSWA grant). The wetlands and steep slopes drain to Furnace Brook and thence to the Housatonic River. The property supports a mixed northern traditional forest of hardwoods, eastern white pine and hemlock and the ridgeline has chestnut oak, white oak, red oak and hickory. The complex terrain includes a 400-foot elevation gain and long ridgeline with rock outcrops and coarse woody debris. The forested slopes provide excellent habitat for interior forest nesting birds and forest dwelling wildlife. The Housatonic Heritage Area’s Hou-Bike trail and Housatonic Covered Bridge Trail pass along the property frontage. The blue-blazed Mohawk Trail, Appalachian Trail, and Housatonic River are nearby. CCT will
create an off-street parking area that will take hikers to a scenic overlook at the Dean Hill summit, with views of Wyantenock State Forest and the Coltsfoot Mountains.
Project Name: R. Smith Connection Property
Sponsor: East Haddam Land Trust, Inc. (EHLT)
Location: Tater Hill Road, East Haddam
Grant Amount: $70,200.00
Size: 14.12 acres
Description: This property, in southeastern East Haddam contains mature hardwood forest and enhances bird habitat in a greenway of connected preserves. It protects two watersheds, a vernal pool and wooded wetland. Two-thirds of the property is in the Eightmile River Wild and Scenic Watershed, one-third is in the Whalebone Creek/Hemlock Valley Brook/Roaring Brook Watershed, and the entire property is in the Audubon Lyme Forest Block Important Bird Area. EHLT’s Walls Way Preserve abuts the property to the west, EHLT’s Miller Farm Preserve abuts to the north and the town’s Lena Reserve abuts the property to the south, further connecting to the DEEP Hand Property and The Nature Conservancy’s Burnham Brook Preserve.
Project Name: Poindexter Preserve Addition
Sponsor: Aspetuck Land Trust, Inc. (ALT)
Location: 398 Judd Road, Easton
Grant Amount: $182,250.00
Size: 3.57 Acres
Description: This property will be added to ALT’s Poindexter Preserve, introducing essential amenities such as safe off-street parking, a new central trailhead and better access for maintaining and effectively doubling the existing grassland fields. It will enhance a migration corridor through interconnected State, Municipal, Aquarion Water Co. and ALT lands. It is a vital ecological asset in the Mill River headwaters and serves as a riparian buffer for Wicker Brook, a cold-water stream. This acquisition safeguards diverse wildlife habitats, scenic rock walls, a wetland and grassland meadow cherished by nature enthusiasts.
Project Name: Victor & Murray Czeczotka & Lucy LeFevre Property
Sponsor: Avalonia Land Conservancy, Inc. (ALC)
Location: 166 Colonel Brown Road, Griswold
Grant Amount: $161,250.00 + $20,050.00 in incidental costs
Size: 28.13 Acres
Description: This property contains 2nd growth mature upland forest, limited palustrine wetlands and vernal pools. It is adjacent to ALC’s 152-acre Dutka Preserve, Pachaug Pond, and ALC’s Scola Preserve on Burton Island, forming a mile plus long greenway. All the parcels provide a sizable forest preserve, aquifer protection, and wildlife corridor. ALC will create a small, compacted stone dust ADA accessible parking area along Colonel Brown Road and develop a loop trail on this property that connects to three miles of hiking trails on the adjacent ALC Dutka Preserve.
Project Name: Westwoods West
Sponsor: Guilford Land Conservation Trust, Inc. (GLCT)
Location: Moose Hill Road, Guilford
Grant Amount: $412,750.00
Size: 33.46 Acres
Description: This mostly wooded property is on the northwest side of the 1,000+-acre Westwoods Forest (mostly GLCT-owned with a portion in Cockaponset State Forest). It is home to a mature upland oak-hickory forest, as well as an increasingly rare early successional habitat created by a powerline cut (the lines and structures were removed in 2022). It contains boulder fields of Stony Creek Granite and a small surface stream that is part of the watershed flowing into Lost Lake and then Long Island Sound. The property hosts a range of imperiled flora and fauna and serves as a buffer for this rare core forest located along the I-95 corridor in New Haven County. This acquisition will complement the well-loved hiking trails in the Westwoods Trail system.
Project Name: East River Preserve - West Side
Sponsor: Town of Guilford
Location: Tanner Marsh Road, Guilford
Grant Amount: $1,592,500.00
Size: 20 Acres
Description: This is a habitat-rich parcel on the East River in Guilford. The property contains tidal river wetlands, inland wetlands, a hayfield, and a mature upland oak/hickory forest. It is located across the river from the town-owned 610-acre East River Preserve and Eastwood Preserve, owned by the Guilford Land Conservation Trust, and upstream from the Guilford Salt Meadows Audubon Sanctuary and the State of Connecticut’s East River Marsh Wildlife Management Area. This acquisition will protect numerous imperiled flora and fauna and the health of the East River and the East River Marsh complex as it reaches Long Island Sound. Just one mile from downtown Guilford, the acquisition will create access to views of the East River from the western bank. Visitors will enjoy a trail that begins at Tanner Marsh Road and runs along the edge of the hayfield and river. The
acquisition will also increase access to the historic Smallpox Burial Ground owned by the Madison Historical Society. For those enjoying the East River through kayaking, fishing and other types of water recreation, this purchase helps maintain the quality of the river.
Project Name: Sterling Street Sanctuary
Sponsor: Trust For Public Land
Location: Sterling Street, Hartford
Grant Amount: $172,500.00 + $14,350.00 in incidental costs
Size: 1.2 Acres
Description: This property in North Hartford is a designated federal Promise Zone, a neighborhood with the direst need for community investments. This property will be a community gathering space providing experiential education and opportunities for healthy integration, offer respite in a densely populated area, and serve as a foundation for culturally relevant education. Through landscape design and on-going planning, the sanctuary will promote an Afrocentric understanding through hands-on experiences and a tangible connection to a rich cultural heritage. There is an existing gazebo for gathering, offering a space for conversation, reflection, learning and growth, and a labyrinth for self-guided or facilitated walks. The space is leased by Kamora’s Cultural Corner, an agency charged with the collaborative goals of the residents and their care, necessary in an
economically disadvantaged community. The space will promote humility and diversity, fostering community building, and cultural awareness.
Project Name: Halsted Lovig Property
Sponsor: Kent Land Trust, Inc. (KLT)
Location: Camps Flat Road, Kent
Grant Amount: $422,500.00
Size: 62.2 Acres
Description: This property in Southern Kent on the New Milford town line is iconic to Kent’s agricultural history. For several decades, it was a humus farm but has been vacant for the past quarter-century. KLT will create a recreational resource and protect its critical ecological functions. The property is exceptional for recreation, nestled between two popular trail systems enabling trail connectivity along a roadway convenient to Kent’s Center on the main route of the Western New England Greenway and Hou-Bike Walk Trails. It will offer ample parking and multi-use trails, connecting to the adjacent Alice McCallister Memorial Sanctuary, that are accessible to people of all abilities and ages. The habitat is critical for biodiversity and climate resilience. Approximately 89% is core forest within a 1,219-acre forest complex. A prominent ridgeline provides several wildlife
linkages to protected forest to the north, with confirmed sightings of bear, bobcat, and other mammals. The property also contains diverse wetlands and spring-fed open pools, with data suggesting these habitats support at least seven avian species in great need of protection. The ponds adjoin the parking area for easily accessed nature-watching and fishing.
Project Name: Camp Laurel
Sponsor: Avalonia Land Conservancy and Trust for Public Land
Location: Clubhouse Road, Lebanon
Grant Amount: $1,365,000.00
Size: 352.89 Acres
Description: This former Girl Scout Camp is the largest unpreserved parcel in Lebanon. The Girl Scouts will retain a portion of the property with continued access to the remainder, together with the public. Recreational opportunities include swimming, kayaking, sailing, hiking, horseback riding, and cross-country skiing. The mostly forested property contains 55 acres of wetlands, the headwaters of the Ten Mile River and Stiles Pond. The waterbodies, undeveloped shorelines, and wetlands are crucial for maintaining biodiversity for species dependent on vernal pools and forest habitats, and function as natural sponges for precipitation, control runoff, filter contaminants and provide groundwater recharge. This acquisition will safeguard a significant ecological corridor that links the core forest of Mono Pond State Park with other nearby forested lands. The connectivity
supports wildlife migration and resilience in the face of climate change, ensuring the protection of diverse habitats across the region. The property’s six-mile multi-use trail network is proximate to the Air Line State Park Trail. The Town of Lebanon hopes to expand its recreational resources by connecting this property to the Air Line State Park Trail.
Project Name: Puhlick Woods
Sponsor: Joshua’s Trust
Location: Fowler Road, Lebanon
Grant Amount: $637,650.00
Size: 178 Acres
Description: This parcel lies within the largest priority forest block in Lebanon. The property has a varied topography with two streams, vernal pools, wetlands, well-drained forest uplands and bedrock outcroppings. It harbors a variety of wildlife species including deer, turkey, coyote, black bear, as well as core forest and shrubland songbirds. Protection of Puhlick Woods will serve to maintain the water quality of Gillette Brook and Waterman Brook that flow through the property before entering the Yantic River greenway. The public will access the site utilizing the existing logging roads for hiking and birdwatching. The roads will be maintained and improved to better facilitate forest management and programs to highlight that management. Educational programming will focus on core forest, wildlife, forest ecology, and forest management using collaborations with experts
from UConn, Yale, NRCS, and DEEP. This preservation will positively impact three equidistant communities of Willimantic, Colchester, and Norwich by providing quiet recreation and high-quality wildlife habitat for public enjoyment.
Project Name: Raymond & Althea Main Conservation Area
Sponsor: Avalonia Land Conservancy, Inc. (ALC)
Location: 173-175 Stoddards Wharf Road, Ledyard
Grant Amount: $182,000.00
Size: 30.3 Acres
Description: This property is a key connector parcel for habitat protection, greenway establishment and trail connectivity (via the Glacial Park Trail Connector and Tri-Town Trail). It features over 30% farmland soils in level fields that were once part of a 1000-acre farm used for grazing sheep, evidenced by a long stone tunnel under nearby Avery Hill Road Extension. An inclined upslope wooded area includes the glacial moraine edge with extensive large erratics. Passive recreation opportunities include hiking, mountain biking, equestrian and birdwatching, as well as snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. ALC will seek funding for the installation of accessible trails that comply with the Forest Service Trail Accessibility Guidelines and at least one ADA accessible parking space. ALC will provide ADA-compatible events including amplified guided walks, augmented by live
sonograms of bird calls and periodic sign language interpretive walks.
Project Name: Shiloh Preserve
Sponsor: Avalonia Land Conservancy (ALC)
Location: Williams Street, New London
Grant Amount: $195,000.00 + $32,950.00 in incidental costs
Size: 22.85 Acres
Description: This forested property on Soldier Hill is adjacent to the I-95 and Route 32 interchange. The 750-acre Connecticut College Arboretum property abuts this property to the north. Briggs Brook bisects the parcel, so this acquisition will protect the biodiversity and watershed as the impacts of climate change intensify. There are remnants of an abandoned quarry, old stone walls and pre- and Revolutionary War historic and cultural value for educational purposes. The main entrance is on Williams Street, which passes through the Hodges Square neighborhood and is linked to downtown New London via a bike lane, public transit, and a sidewalk. The parcel will be jointly managed by ALC and the Connecticut College Arboretum. They will establish hiking trails for passive recreational use and provide educational opportunities for the residents of New London and all who visit.
The City of New London is a distressed municipality, with the least amount of open space per capita in all of Connecticut.
Project Name: Gary Kincaid Property
Sponsor: Avalonia Land Conservancy (ALC)
Location: 51 Babcock Road, North Stonington
Grant Amount: $300,000.00 + $32,150.00 in incidental costs
Size: 100 Acres
Description: This property features rolling topography with a mixture of second growth hardwoods, bedrock ridgelines, pastures, and riparian wetlands draining to the Shunock River. It is westerly of and contiguous with ALC’s Babcock and Erisman Preserves that total 136.34 acres of protected woodlands. This is the second largest of the 19 parcels identified as conservation priorities in the Town of North Stonington’s 2023 Plan of Conservation and Development. The parcel includes an onsite pond with two brook drainages, a pasture and woodlands. The existing roads will serve as public access trails, connecting the adjacent preserve trails to this property. ALC will add an off-street, ADA accessible parking lot on the Babcock Road frontage, providing access to trails on the subject and adjacent ALC Preserves.
Project Name: Abbott Property
Sponsor: Wyndham Land Trust, Inc. (WLT)
Location: Brayman Hollow Road (CT Route 244), Pomfret
Grant Amount: $633,100.00
Size: 380 Acres
Description: This forested tract is adjacent to roughly 1,200 acres of WLT conservation land and is part of the Nightingale Forest, a core forest large enough to support species that need forested areas to successfully thrive. Species of birds like black-throated blue warbler, broad-winged hawk, and scarlet tanagers breed here. It contains over 2,900 feet of frontage on both sides of Nightingale Brook and over 3,400 feet of frontage on both sides of Angel Brook. With this acquisition, WLT will own about 75% of the frontage on Nightingale Brook. The entire property has been identified as having high resilience to climate change. The public will have access to new hiking trails in the forest, connected to trails on the adjacent 365-acre WLT Townshend Preserve, with an existing parking area on Quarry Road in Woodstock. This property has been identified as highest importance
for protection by the Town of Pomfret and WLT for years.
Project Name: Weinberg Property
Sponsor: Roxbury Land Trust (RLT)
Location: Southbury Road (CT Route 67), Roxbury
Grant Amount: $929,500.00
Size: 191 Acres
Description: This property is a vital tract of core forest on Bronson Mountain with sensitive wetlands, vernal pools, wildlife corridors, and significant ridgeline features essential to the region’s ecological health. This purchase will ensure a continuous habitat for local wildlife, especially species dependent on unfragmented forest ecosystems and aquatic habitats for breeding and migration. It supports flood mitigation, water quality protection and climate resilience for surrounding communities. This purchase furthers RLT’s mission to conserve Roxbury’s natural beauty, provide public access through passive recreational opportunities, and protect water quality and wildlife habitats. RLT is committed to managing the property for sustainable recreation, education, and passive public enjoyment. The trails on this property will connect to RLT’s adjacent Hurlburt and Tierney
Preserves, increasing the trail system by two miles, and creating a larger network of protected forest and water resources. Parking areas and trailheads will be located on Southbury Road and Flagg Swamp Road.
Project Name: Miles Mountain
Sponsor: Salisbury Association, Incorporated (SA)
Location: Weatogue Road, Salisbury
Grant Amount: $886,600.00
Size: 163.59 Acres
Description: This 220.5-acre property on Weatogue Road is easterly of Tom’s Hill, a previous SA OSWA-acquired property. The property is subject to a 57-acre conservation easement held by Trustees of Reservations, so the DEEP OSWA conservation easement will encumber 163.59 acres (which surrounds the already preserved parcel on three sides). It has a gorgeous hay meadow on Weatogue Road and core forest that rises to the top of the Miles Mountain ridgeline. Bartholomew’s Cobble abuts the property to the north, a popular and environmentally important preserve in Massachusetts. The forested slopes support 127 acres of core forest, a mixed northern transitional forest of hardwoods and conifers. The complex terrain includes a floodplain, ravine, and a ridgeline with rock outcrops and coarse woody debris. It adjoins large blocks of protected land that link the property to the
Housatonic River. There are six state-listed NDDB species at or near this property and prime, statewide and locally important farmland soils, with 22 acres in agriculture as pasture or hay production. SA will add a public parking area on Weatogue Road and a public access trail. The trail will follow the edge of the farm field, climb Miles Mountain, and connect to the Trustees of Reservations trail on the Bartholomew’s Cobble Preserve, further connecting to a parking area on Copper Hill Road in Massachusetts.
Project Name: Surdan Mountain
Sponsor: Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy, Inc. (NCLC)
Location: Surdan Mountain Road, Sharon
Grant Amount: $1,381,250.00
Size: 49.26 Acres
Description: NCLC will purchase 108 acres (59 acres already NCLC protected) with more than 49 acres eligible for OSWA protection/grant purposes. Both properties are adjacent to the 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail corridor that extends from Georgia to Maine. It is connected via protected lands to the National Wild and Scenic Housatonic River, Housatonic State Forest, and Housatonic Meadows State Park. It is in an Important Bird Area (IBA) designated by the National Audubon Society and connects to two other large IBAs. The property’s forested slopes are nearly all core forest. There are rock outcrops and ridgeline, wetlands, and a stream that drains into the Housatonic River. The site has prime and locally important farmland soils. NCLC will add a parking area on Surdan Mountain Road and create a loop trail offering spectacular views. NCLC hopes to connect this trail to the
Appalachian Trail, through the adjacent Housatonic SF property.
Project Name: Sackett Preserve
Sponsor: Warren Land Trust, Inc. (WLT)
Location: CT Route 45, Warren
Grant Amount: $479,375.00
Size: 135 Acres
Description: This parcel represents a significant opportunity to preserve a vital ecosystem and create a 370-acre block of protected land, by connecting WLT’s Leach Preserve (to the north) with Tanner Farm (a prior WLT OSWA protected property, to the south). This project enhances climate change resilience, taking the core forest block to 73% protected, adding carbon sequestration capacity, fostering biodiversity and providing an essential wildlife corridor and habitat. Lake Waramaug Brook, known as Sucker Brook, flows through the western portion. Protection of this cold-water stream is critical to the lake’s environmental health and is part of a larger resilient river network and drinking water resource area. WLT will add two on-site, off-street parking areas (Lake Road/Route 341 and Angevine Road) and an extensive trail network for public enjoyment, through the woodlands
and along a scenic portion of Sucker Brook, connecting trails on Tanner Farm to the Blue-Blazed Mattatuck Trail via WLT’s Coords and Graham Bush Preserves.
Project Name: Hidden Valley Expansion Cornell Parcels Acquisition
Sponsor: Steep Rock Association (SRA)
Location: Whittlesey Road, Romford Road & Upper Mt. Tom Road, Washington
Grant Amount: $1,957,800.00
Size: 125.44 Acres
Description: Five parcels totaling approximately 145 acres will be added to SRA’s Hidden Valley Preserve (HVP), with 125.44 OSWA eligible acres. The property is contiguous to and provides connectivity between SRAs 970-acre HVP and 1,096 acres of protected open space, including the Bronson Fields parcel (2010 OSWA project) and the Cook, Mount Tom, and Bantam parcels (2023 OSWA projects). The property includes a .7-mile section of the historic Shepaug Valley railroad bed that forms the central backbone of SRA’s 50-mile trail system and the state-designated Shepaug Greenway. There are numerous key habitats of Greatest Conservation Need, including a large river riparian habitat along the banks of the Shepaug and Bantam Rivers, mixed upland forest and woodland, forested inland wetland, talus slopes, and other rare and unusual habitats. It is part of Audubon Society’s
13,800-acre Shepaug Forest Block of Important Bird Areas and DEEP’s Natural Diversity Areas. There are 17 acres of stratified drift surficial material filtering groundwater recharge near two groundwater wells. It provides significant climate change resilience, adaptation and mitigation value, protecting intact core forest and embedded terrestrial, wetland, and aquatic habitats.
Project Name: Harlow Conservation Area
Sponsor: Avalonia Land Conservancy (ALC)
Location: 36 Butlertown Road, Waterford
Grant Amount: $552,500.00
Size: 165.3 Acres
Description: This parcel contains a large expanse of intact upland and riparian forested communities in a core forest area of northwest Waterford, in the Oil Mill Brook watershed. Willys Meadow Brook flows through the parcel, a perennial headwater tributary to the Niantic River. Preservation of this property will help protect the quality of the Oil Mill Brook watershed, Willys Meadow Brook and the Niantic River. The property contains Beaver Pond and a large, forested swamp, which supports a great blue heron rookery. The wetlands and riparian corridors in this watershed ranked high on the Conservation Priority Index developed as part of the Niantic River Watershed Protection Plan. ALC will create an off-street public and ADA accessible parking area off Butlertown Road with access to the onsite trail network. Passive recreational opportunities include hiking, (leashed) dog
walking, biking, equestrian on appropriate pathways, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing. Hunting will also be allowed, within the confines of a management plan, to be completed after the acquisition.
Project Name: Edward and Adelaide Piteo Preserve
Sponsor: Wolcott Land Conservation Trust, Inc.
Location: Midwood Avenue, Wolcott
Grant Amount: $104,000.00
Size: 34.63 Acres
Description: This 34.63-acre parcel is located on Midwood Ave, in an area around Hitchcock Lake, in the Town of Wolcott. This acquisition will benefit the community, contributing to protected forest lands and passive recreational opportunities, and enhancing the region’s ability to sequester carbon. There is a small stone-covered space for off-street parking. The land trust will improve the parking area and provide access to a new passive recreation loop trail. This will be the only publicly accessible open space in the area.
Urban Green and Community Gardens Grants
Project Name: Restoring Tarrywile Park’s Beauty through Art, Community, and Biodiversity
Sponsor: Friends of Tarrywile Park
Town: Danbury
Grant Amount: $63,026.00
Description: Friends of Tarrywile Park will utilize funding to construct a community garden and improved greenspaces in one of the state’s largest municipally owned parks. Totaling 722 acres, Tarrywile Park features 21 miles of multiuse trails, several picnic areas, and waterbodies. New amenities will include additional seating, a public art installation, fencing, bioswales, and rain barrels that will provide water for the new gardens.
Project Name: Marfuggi Riverwalk Enhancements
Sponsor: Riverfront Recapture
Town: Hartford
Grant Amount: $517,519.00
Description: Riverfront Recapture, Inc., will utilize funding to install trailside amenities, including plantings, signage, and benches associated with the construction of the Joe Marfuggi Riverwalk and Galleries in Hartford’s historic Riverside Park. The Marfuggi Riverwalk will feature a 12-foot wide paved multi-modal trail and four scenic overlooks at the river’s edge, connecting the main paved Riverwalk to an existing single-track trail running along the top of the riverbank. The Riverwalk will extend 2.2 miles north through the floodplain forest on what is currently dirt trails or existing levee maintenance roads and connect to Windsor Meadows State Park.
Project Name: Chapman Street Community Garden Revitalization
Sponsor: New Britain ROOTS
Town: New Britain
Grant Amount: $15,000.00
Description: New Britain ROOTS will utilize funding to improve an existing community garden at 145 Chapman Street by installing 42 new planter boxes, including two raised beds that are accessible to those with mobility challenges. Funding will contribute improved amenities, including a storage shed, picnic tables, and composting area. The Chapman Street Garden is proximal to several bus stops and hosts a variety of educational workshops and community events.
Project Name: Community Garden and Nature Preserve Improvements
Sponsor: Gather New Haven
Town: New Haven
Grant Amount: $92,975.00
Description: Gather New Haven, through professional staff and dedicated network of volunteers supports 45 community gardens and six nature preserves throughout New Haven, all accessible to the public. Funding will be used to enhance and restore the functionality and appearance of ten gardens and two nature preserves by installing new planter boxes, native plantings, maintenance sheds, hoop houses, and low tunnels to extend the use of the gardens. Work will also include trail maintenance at the preserves and the replacement of an outmoded entry gate with one that is accessible to those with mobility challenges.
Project Name: Preston Rain Garden
Sponsor: Town of Preston
Town: Preston
Grant Amount: $15,000.00
Description: The Town of Preston will utilize funding to construct a rain garden and bioswale next to Town Hall and the Public Library. The new garden will include native plantings and mitigate stormwater runoff from adjacent impervious surfaces.
Project Name: Vernon Community Giving Garden
Sponsor: Town of Vernon
Town: Vernon
Grant Amount: $21,682.20
Description: The Town of Vernon will utilize funding to construct a community garden and greenspace on an undeveloped parcel at 8 Maple Street. The site will feature accessible pathways, raised beds for native plantings, benches, and pollinator gardens.
