Land Trust Honored for Protecting Broomstick Ledges

The Guilford Land Conservation Trust has been honored by the Connecticut Land Conservation Council for its landmark protection of the Broomstick Ledges area.

At the council’s annual conference in April, the land trust received the Award for Outstanding Land Acquisition Effort. The land trust completed the acquisition of the 141-acre Broomstick Ledges property in 2008. The property is the largest single acquisition by the land trust since it was founded in 1965. The land offers exceptional recreational opportunities and is an important watershed and wildlife habitat. Its protection also preserved the scenic vista from Bluff Head and connected other valuable protected open space.

“The spectacular property was a top conservation priority of the land trust for years due to its critical environmental and recreational importance,” the council stated in honoring the land trust. “The popular Mattabesett Trail crosses the property and is part of the newly designated New England Scenic Trail, which runs from New Hampshire to Long Island Sound in Guilford. This land closes a gap in over 18,000 acres of contiguous conserved land.”

The land trust purchased the property from the descendants of George Etzel of Branford and New Haven for $2.15 million. Major financial support for the acquisition was secured from the state, town and private donors.