Guilford Land Conservation Trust

a non-profit all volunteer organization

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Guilford Land Trust Protects 12 Acres on Bluff Head

November 17, 2016 By admin

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The Red eft, juvenile state of the eastern newt, can be seen in the area of the new purchase in the spring.

The Guilford Land Conservation Trust (GLCT) took another step toward preserving Totoket Mountain – the ridge that ends at Bluff Head – with the purchase in October of 12 acres in the northwest corner of Guilford, along the top of the ridge. The parcel had been one of GLCT’s highest priorities for years, as it was one of only a few on the basalt ridge that was privately owned. A section of the blue-blazed New England Trail passes over it, heading west from Bluff Head toward North Branford.

The purchase of the property for $40,000 was made possible by the generous support of GLCT members. GLCT is most grateful to the owner for choosing to sell the land for permanent conservation. The land trust began buying land on the mountain in the 1960s, and has now protected more than 700 acres in the area.

In the 1800s, this newly protected parcel was part of a larger 20-acre piece that likely was used as a “woods lot” for firewood. Historically, this part of the mountain was more connected economically to Northford – less than a quarter-mile away – and Wallingford – less than a mile away. This part of the mountain was also owned by brick companies in New Haven, which used trees to make charcoal for brick production. In the early and mid-1900s, much of the adjoining land was bought by the New Haven Water Company for watershed for North Guilford’s Menunkatuck Reservoir. The land just purchased by the GLCT, however, is outside that watershed – it drains to the west, into North Branford and Durham, so the water company had no need for it, and it has always been privately owned. This parcel, at top of the ridge, is mostly flat, wooded uplands. A corner of the property holds part of a very productive wetland that is filled with frog and salamander eggs in the spring.

Please click here to help contribute to the cost of this acquisition so GLCT is poised and ready for the next opportunity. Thank you for your generous support!

Filed Under: Acquisitions, Bluff Head, News

GLCT Awarded $85,150 for 2015 Westwoods Acquisition

October 19, 2015 By admin

The grant, awarded by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection through the competitive Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Grant Program, is in support of the 17-acre, $225,000 acquisition in Westwoods.

Click here to read the story from the Guilford Courier.

Filed Under: Acquisitions, News, Westwoods Trails

2015 Acquisition — Westwoods North

March 12, 2015 By admin

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We need your support today!

When we were working to preserve the Heart of Westwoods from 2012-2014, we indicated that that parcel was one of several privately owned Westwoods holdings which have been GLCT priorities for decades. We are very pleased to report that GLCT has secured a contract to buy another of these properties, 17.5 acres just north of our last Heart of Westwoods purchase. We’ve had the owners’ permission to maintain trails on this property for decades, so many of you have likely passed across this beautiful area on the White Circle or Red Triangle trails. It is quintessential Westwoods land, rugged, fascinating, and, with your help, protected.

Today we ask you to help us secure its permanent protection and to spread the word about this effort.

Unlike the last purchase, for which GLCT spread the payments out over 3 years, we must make the full $225,000 payment on or before March 27th. We need your generous support today.

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GLCT has been able to protect 3,000 acres in Guilford – including more than 650 in Westwoods – because supporters like you value open space and generously respond to save critical parcels. Thank you for helping to protect this spectacular forest.

Please share this with three local, conservation-minded friends and connect to the story on Facebook.

 

What to see

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Filed Under: Acquisitions, News, Westwoods Committee Meetings, Westwoods Trails

New Acquisition on the West River

February 15, 2015 By admin

Early Fall Morning

The children of Agnes L. Landon and John H. Landon recently agreed to donate 5.5 acres of salt marsh to the Guilford Land Conservation Trust in memory of their parents, long-time Guilford residents.

The parcel stretches from near Water Street to the West River, just north of the Amtrak rail line. The land trust already owns several properties adjoining or nearby the Landon parcel, and protecting this land will enable the land trust to maintain an undivided area of salt marsh that is vital for wildlife and also allows protection of one of Guilford’s classic vistas.

“This marsh is part of one of Guilford’s iconic views from Water Street to the West River, and we are grateful to the Landon family for their gift,” said Sarah S. Williams, president of the land trust.

The land trust was founded nearly fifty years ago in large part to protect threatened salt marshes, and this gift will help to further its original mission.

JaredEliotNorth

Filed Under: Acquisitions, Feature, News, Press Releases

Northwoods Acquisition

October 29, 2013 By Jerry Turk

The Guilford Land Conservation Trust has completed the acquisition of an important addition to the protected open space in north Guilford known as Northwoods. The addition of 26 acres of forest on the east side of Route 77 includes a scenic ridge line above Rusconi Pond. The Northwoods corridor includes GLCT’s 141-acre Broomstick Ledges property and Bluff Head, as well as the James Valley Preserve, owned by the Town of Guilford with a conservation easement held by GLCT, and the town-owned Braemore Preserve, which connects with Madison’s Rockland Preserve. The new acquisition is just to the south of the New England Scenic Trail, a federally designated trail stretching from Mount Monadnock in New Hampshire to the Long Island Sound in Guilford. The Northwoods area has an outstanding network of hiking trails enjoyed by Guilford residents and visitors to the town. GLCT acquired the new 26-acre property through a public auction for $19,000. Although there are no immediate plans for trails on the property, the land may be accessed for passive recreation from the Broomstick Ledges or using an access easement granted to GLCT by the Quonnipaug Condo Association up the Association’s main driveway.

Filed Under: Acquisitions, Press Releases

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Missing Piece Hikes

Apr
25
Wed
3:00 pm Early Dismissal Rock Romp @ Peddlers Road trailhead
Early Dismissal Rock Romp @ Peddlers Road trailhead
Apr 25 @ 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Join GLCT Director, Steve Besse (203-215-6786), on this a fun romp through some of the best rock formations in Westwoods.  Meet at Peddlers Road entrance. Pouring rain cancels.
Apr
29
Sun
1:00 pm Hike to the Caves @ Dunk Rock Road trailhead
Hike to the Caves @ Dunk Rock Road trailhead
Apr 29 @ 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Join GLCT members, the Bonz Family (203-848-4737), at the Dunk Rock entrance. Hike down green, right on orange, to the caves and return on orange. Level of difficulty: advanced intermediate. Rain date Sun. May 6th[...]
May
12
Sat
10:00 am Westwoods Botanical Inventory Of... @ Three Corners Road trailhead
Westwoods Botanical Inventory Of... @ Three Corners Road trailhead
May 12 @ 10:00 am – 12:30 pm
Join GLCT Director Ted Mankovich (203-453-4415) and local botanist Lauren Brown for a Botanical Inventory Off Trail Hike of a special section of Westwoods. Composed of dense wetlands surrounded by fertile woodsy uplands, many deep[...]
May
19
Sat
10:00 am The Missing Piece – Adventurous ... @ Three Corners Road trailhead
The Missing Piece – Adventurous ... @ Three Corners Road trailhead
May 19 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Come meet the citizens of Westwoods on The Missing Piece.  Join ecologist Spencer Meyer (207-852-3171) and GLCT V.P. John DellaVentura on a hike and scavenger hunt for the whole family. We’ll look for clues about[...]
Jun
3
Sun
10:00 am Westwoods National Trails Day Hike
Westwoods National Trails Day Hike
Jun 3 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Spend National Trails Day in Westwoods exploring the 3 most recent GLCT acquisitions, including The Missing Piece.  GLCT director, Bill Bloss (203-457-9253) and Guilford First Selectman, Matt Hoey, will lead a two-hour hike across streams[...]
4:00 pm Where’s Your Walden? @ Nathanael B Greene Community Center
Where’s Your Walden? @ Nathanael B Greene Community Center
Jun 3 @ 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm
Annual Meeting: Where’s Your Walden? Speaker: Robert Thorson, author of The Guide to Walden Pond, Connecticut Stone by Stone, and many other books. Guilford Community Center
Orange circle trail
Black-and-White Warbler

The Guilford Land Conservation Trust acquires and conserves natural places for future generations.

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Recent Posts

  • Guilford’s Big Maple Preserve in the Hartford Courant
  • Is it OK to clear branches and small fallen trees from trails with a hand saw?
  • CTNow: The Shoreline Lure Of Guilford’s West River Preserves
  • Ticked Off – The Lowdown on Ticks
  • Spring 2017 Walk Card
  • Loop 1 – Lost Lake Vista
  • Loop 2 – Split Rock
  • Loop 3 – Cairn and Cave

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