
Julia Rogers of the Housatonic Valley Association recently gave a presentation to the Warren Land Trust on strategic land protection priorities.
Photo by Connie Manes
Editor’s note: This is the first of a two-part series focusing on how land trusts in Northwest Connecticut are working in concert to tackle conservation challenges.
The nearly two dozen land trusts in rural Northwest Connecticut may be small, but they are mighty when it comes to collaborative conservation efforts.
A first-of-its-kind research project examining the pace and scale of conservation in the state’s Northwest Corner illustrates the extent of this collaboration.
Working with 19 land trusts, the Kent-based Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy (NCLC) has collected and documented data showing the total amount of land that has been conserved each year in the region over the past decade.
The publication’s findings, said Catherine Rawson, executive director of NCLC, will serve as a roadmap to future conservation efforts.
“It’s not every day that we release a publication that demonstrates that work. It’s a fantastic vantage point from which to look out into the future and gauge how much land we expect to protect by 2023.”
Northwest Connecticut, said Rawson, is the first and only region in the state to track and prepare data on the pace of its collective conservation efforts.
“We are grateful to work in this community of strong conservation partners. It is so exciting to share the collective summaries of the region’s land trusts and what they are all able to accomplish together,” said the NCLC executive director.
Tim Abbott, Housatonic Valley Association’s (HVA) regional conservation and Greenprint Collaborative director, said he views the new NCLC report, titled “The Pace and Scale of Conservation in Northwest Connecticut” as a much needed “call to action.’
“It’s sobering and inspiring,” said Abbott. “It supports data that is coming in from beyond our region. And that is that we need to be doing more and on a wider scale” to meet the pressures of the changing climate and adverse human impact on the environment.
“If we do it piecemeal,” he said,” that won’t be up to the scale of the threat. You need partners.”
Joining forces
Collaboration among state and Litchfield County land trusts, said those in the field, has gained momentum in the past decade.
In increasing numbers, land trusts have come to realize that partnering with other agencies or larger entities can allow for greater transaction expertise, increased funding opportunities, enhanced credibility, more organizational capacity, shared resources including staff and technology, cooperation on easement stewardships, positive publicity, and increased land protection overall.
“The addition of professional help for land trusts has been huge,” said Bart Jones, president of the 35-year-old Cornwall Conservation Trust, Inc. (CCT), who credited collaboration as a game-changer and said professional help “makes fundraising for conservation work critical.”
He noted that the trend away from all-volunteer land trusts started in earnest about 15 years ago through shared resources and resulted in a heightened level of professionalism and credibility.
“We couldn’t have acquired as much land as we have without it,” said Jones of his organization.
Accreditation, too, has upped the game for land trusts.
“The other thing that has shifted is the emphasis on land trust standards and practices,” said HVA’s Abbott. More than half of the state’s 30 or so accredited land trusts are in the Northwest Corner and belong to the Litchfield Hills Greenprint Collaborative.
“Northwest Connecticut land trusts have taken accreditation very seriously. It gives us a common language and helps us feel comfortable that we are all talking about the same things,” added Connie Manes, Greenprint director and executive director of the Kent Land Trust (KLT).
Regional partnerships
As land conservation becomes more urgent, complex and expensive, land trusts are being creative in expanding their leverage and capabilities by forging regional conservation partnerships with entities like the Cornwall-based HVA, Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy and others.
For instance, HVA’s Follow the Forest initiative unites land trusts and communities against the persistent threat of forest fragmentation. Important woodland species need room to roam, and unbroken stretches of forested land act as a “wildlife highway,” providing safe habitat and food.
“None of us lives in isolation, which is quite clear when you look at the extensive wildlife corridor of which we are smack in the middle,” noted KLT’s Manes.
“Animals and birds don’t stop at town lines and people don’t either,” said Manes, who owns a private equity consulting firm and chairs the Kent Conservation Commission.
Manes, like many other land trust members interviewed, wear several “hats” in their capacity as conservationists often serving on town land-use boards in addition to volunteering or directing at various nonprofit groups, or as private consultants.
Community outreach targets students
Maria Grace, executive director of the 300-member Sharon Land Trust (SLT), which boasts nine public preserves with 24 miles of hiking trails and includes Kent and Salisbury in its area of operation, stressed the importance of community outreach programs aimed at adults and children.
SLT is a partner of Follow the Forest, a regional initiative that seeks to protect and connect forests and promote the safe passage of wildlife throughout the Northeast, from the Hudson Valley to Canada.
Grace spoke enthusiastically about recent field trips and outdoor adventures held jointly with the Salisbury Association Land Trust (SALT) and HVA’s Paul Singer.
“We educate people about our forests and how they need to better connect them,” said the SLT executive director. Field trips with students include training on how to access connectors and collect data.
Strength in numbers
Land trusts are finding creative ways to support each other.
For example, Kent and Warren conservationists recently joined forces with the purchases of their adjoining preserves, Kent Land Trust’s East Kent Hamlet Nature Preserve and Warren Land Trust’s soon-to-be-open Cunningham Road Preserve.
SLT’s Grace pointed to the 52-acre Tory Hill property, near the Lakeville/Sharon border, as a prime example of successful collaboration with SALT.
Tory Hill was a joint project involving several landowners, the state of Connecticut, and others to preserve a prime scenic vista obscured by rampant spread of invasive plant species.
Working in tandem, the two land trusts collaborated, raised funds and closed on the open space, which is managed by the Salisbury Association.
Double protection on easements
Holding conservation easements on each other’s preserves is also a way land trusts join forces.
“Sometimes it’s desirable to have double protection on a property, where a land trust owns the property, and another land trust holds the conservation easement on it, so both are monitoring the property and making sure it stays preserved,” explained Shelley Harms, a private land consultant since 2014 who serves as executive director of both the Salisbury and Cornwall land trusts.
Harms also volunteers as co-president of the Norfolk Land Trust (NLT) and has assisted several other groups with acquisition grants and accreditation projects.
Speaking of collaboration, she said, “Norfolk Land Trust owns a property that Winchester Land Trust holds the easement on, and Norfolk Land Trust holds an easement on property owned by Colebrook Land Conservancy, also on property owned by Aton Forest, also on property owned by Great Mountain Forest.”
A regional organization like NCLC, Harms pointed out, also has capacity to work in a town where there isn’t a local land trust. She also credited NCLC for hosting Green Drinks, where land trust officials meet informally to discuss various topics, and by hosting the small area land trust meetings.
Shared mapping, monitoring systems
Several land trust leaders also pointed to NCLC’s technology assistance in the form of its shared LENS aerial photo monitoring system.
“Both HVA Greenprint and the Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy have been helpful to the smaller land trusts,” said Harms. “HVA has a terrific map person, Stacy Deming, who does our conservation maps.”
SLT’s Grace praised the value of a shared satellite monitoring system. “We have about 50 parcels, so it allows us greater flexibility,” particularly when it comes to annual inspections required under the accreditation process, she noted.
“We now have 11 land trusts who use our purchased satellite software to inspect their properties,” reported NCLC’s Rawson.
‘A tightly-knit, collegial group’
The sharing of staff is vital to success, said Manes. Land trusts share not only administrative staff, but also summer interns, bookkeepers, and AmeriCorps teams of service youth.
“We share information about what works in our organizations, examples of policies, procedures and grant applications. We co-sponsor trainings and public educational programs, and we conduct public outreach.”
At one point, she noted, HVA was sharing an administrative person with three different land trusts.
“It may seem byzantine when one first encounters the many organizations working in land conservation in New England, but the people, the countless impassioned volunteers and professionals who work on conservation in our region and throughout Connecticut are a tightly-knit, collegial group.
“We have a head start on collaborative efforts because the trust, relationships and infrastructure for collaboration are already here, built over decades to a place of great strength and opportunity.”
Coming up: Northwest Corner land trusts bear the burden of region’s conservation future.
Cornwall Conservation Trust
(860) 248-3255
cornwallconservationtrust.org
Housatonic Valley Association
Cornwall Bridge
(860) 672-6678
hvatoday.org
Kent Land Trust
(860) 488-9185
ketlandtrust.org
Norfolk Land Trust
(860) 307-8380
norfolklandtrust.org
Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy
Kent – (860) 927-1927
ctland.org
Salisbury Association Land Trust
(860) 435-0566
www.salisburyassociation.org/land-trust/
Sharon Land Trust
(860) 364-5137
www.sharonlandtrust.org
Paul Singer of the Housatonic Valley Association and Diane Fitzmeyer Murphy of the Salisbury Association guided children from Salisbury Central School on a field trip earlier this year focused on habitat connectivity and wildlife corridors. Photo Submitted
NEW BRITAIN — Anthony Labbadia soared to 9th place in the triple jump at the 2025 New England track and field championships Saturday, June 14.
On his first attempt of the event he leaped 44 feet and one inch, qualifying for the finals and setting the new Housatonic Valley Regional High School record. The previous school record of 43 feet eight inches was set by Don Hurlbutt in 1967.
The HVRHS junior was pleased with the result of his first triple jump of the day June 14.Photo by Riley Klein
Conditions were rainy for the meet with the grounds crew utilizing a leaf blower to dry the track between events. Labbadia said he had experienced similar weather at the Berkshire League championships in May, and he won the triple jump there, so he was confident.
“It doesn’t bother me,” said Labbadia of the rain, noting he was excited to be back at Willow Brook Park. “Being here makes me jump farther... I just have to make sure I’m thinking about everything without overthinking.”
Labbadia, a rising senior at HVRHS, wrote his capstone on the triple jump. In his research, his mother explained, he studied and broke down the biomechanics of the event.
Labbadia was injured during track season his freshman year. His sophomore year, he took up triple jumping. He ended his junior year with a 9th-place finish against the top competition in New England.Photo by Riley Klein
Two days before the championships, he made a bold change to his jumping approach — switching from a “right, right, left” sequence to “left, left, right” — and it paid off.
“I’m glad I switched my feet,” he said after the result. “I’m happy with my performance.”
Once all the jumpers from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont had finished, Labbadia’s distance held for 9th place.
Labbadia was the first HVRHS athlete to compete at the New England meet since Sydney Segalla in 2022. Track coach Alan Lovejoy said he cannot recall another HVRHS male athlete qualifying since he became coach in 2009.
Hosted at Willow Brook Park in New Britain, the 2025 New England track and field championship was held in Connecticut for the first time in three years. Events took place all day Saturday, June 14. Full results are available at nestiming.comPhoto by Riley Klein
Rain came down heavy in the morning June 14, but conditions improved as the day went on. The crew used leaf blowers to dry the track between events.Photo by Riley Klein
The Canaan Pirates pose as champions after defending the Northwest Connecticut District 6 Majors Little League title.
THOMASTON — The Canaan Pirates are champions once more.
In the Northwest Connecticut District 6 Majors Little League title game Friday, June 13, the Pirates defeated Thomaston JRC Transportation by a score of 6-2.
Brody Ohler pitched a two-hitter for Canaan. Milo Ellison relieved him, facing one batter who flew out to right field where Ben Young secured the final out.
Canaan never trailed in the game against top-ranked Thomaston, which lost one game all season prior to the championship. Both JRC losses came from the Pirates, with players aged 10 to 12 from Cornwall, Falls Village, Kent, Norfolk, North Canaan, Salisbury and Sharon.
Milo Ellison played second base before relieving pitcher Brody Ohler.Photo by Riley Klein
In the title game at Reeves Field in Thomaston, the Pirates started strong with a lead in the top of the first inning. Ohler singled, then stole second base. Liam Downey brought him home with a single, then Sam Hahn doubled to put runners on second and third. Ellison brought them both home with a triple and the Pirates took a 3-0 lead.
The margin held until the sixth inning when the Pirates extended their lead to 6-0. With J.T. Farr and Bentley King on, Ohler sent a deep shot to center field and rounded the bases for an in-the-park home run.
In the bottom of the sixth, Ohler surrendered two runs before reaching his pitch limit. Ellison stepped in to end the game with some help from Young in right field.
The Pirates piled on Young in the outfield chanting “Benny! Benny!” The two sides shook hands in the spirit of sportsmanship before trophies were awarded.
The Pirates rejoice around Ben Young after he secured the final out.Photo by Riley Klein
After winning the District 6 title for the second straight year, Coach Tom Downey said "It feels awesome. Especially this group who worked really hard. Last year we were dominant, this year these guys worked their butts off."
"We definitely earned it," said third baseman Michael Prisco.
Ohler finished with nine strikeouts on the mound, three hits in three at bats, two RBI and a home run. Ellison hit 1-for-2 with two RBI, Liam Downey went 1-for-3 with an RBI, Sam Hahn and J.T. Farr hit 1-for-3 and Sam Hamlin hit 1-for-2.
For Thomaston, Owen H. hit 1-for-2 with two RBI and Lucas K. hit 1-for-2. The pitching trio of Gavin M., Jackson Ether and Brody Conlon combined for 12 strikeouts.
J.T. Farr and Brody Ohler are back-to-back District 6 champions.Photo by Riley Klein
NORTH CANAAN — The Canaan Red Sox ended the season with a thrilling 14-13 win over the Tri-Town Phillies Thursday, June 12.
Canaan trailed for most of the game but kept it close. Ultimately, the Red Sox secured the victory with a final-inning comeback in front of the home crowd at Steve Blass Field.
The Red Sox rejoiced as victors. Reflecting on the season, Coach Nikki Blass stated, “My boys continue to come off the field smiling and doing better than the game before.”
The Red Sox are part of the Northwest Connecticut Steve Blass Little League AAA program, consisting of players aged 9 to 11 from Cornwall, Falls Village, Kent, Norfolk, North Canaan, Salisbury and Sharon. Tri-Town includes players from Goshen, Litchfield, Morris and Warren.
Berkley Karcheski connects for a Red Sox hit June 12.Photo by Simon Markow
The result June 12 marked the first win of the season for the Red Sox. The night before, Coach Nikki Blass reassured her team with a letter, writing, “You should keep your heads high and know that you are all an asset to this team. Tomorrow we are clearing the slate and we will win.” She continued, “I hear in addition if you put a bat under your bed you get an amazing hit on game day.”
The bat trick paid off and many Red Sox logged hits in the game. “Everyone was on fire,” exclaimed Blass after the game.
Quinn McKniff pitched the majority of the match for Canaan with reliever Myles Shippa taking the mound for the final inning.
Blaze Freund heads for home.Photo by Simon Markow
Offensively, Blaze Freund logged his first hit of the season. His twin brother Roan scored after sliding head-first into home “Pete Rose-style.” Myles Shippa recorded an RBI double in the game.
The Red Sox gathered beneath the scoreboard for a team photo after the win. With wide smiles and baseballs held high, the players ended another joyous Little League season.
Written by Riley Klein with reporting from Simon Markow.
The Red Sox conclude the 2025 season with a win.Photo provided
State Rep. Maria Horn (D-64) was treated for her injuries at Sharon Hospital.
The day after concluding what has been described as a grueling legislative session, State Rep. Maria Horn (D-64) had a running accident, leaving her with a broken pelvis and collarbone among other more minor bruises and abrasions. Despite the injuries, she is in good spirits and recuperating at home, eager to get back on her feet.
Horn said after spending weeks in the assembly hall, she was eager to get some outdoor exercise in, but perhaps pushed a little too hard too soon. She said she was excited to get a run in on the morning of Friday, June 6, but was still exhausted from her time in Hartford and in the final stretch of recovering from a meniscus repair surgery in December.
Before the run, she told friends she was hoping for a “hard reset for [her] health,” she said with a rueful laugh.
Nearing the end of the loop, Horn said her leg was fatigued and gave out, causing her to fall on the pavement. She is grateful for the community members who helped during the ordeal, including an unknown motorist who waited with her until her husband arrived, and the staff at Sharon Hospital who she said were “wonderful.”
She was directed to keep weight off her hip for 4 to 6 weeks, and since her collarbone is also fractured, cannot use crutches so she’s partially wheelchair-bound for the time being. While she’s disappointed to be missing out on the start of hiking, biking and running season, she’s keeping her sights forward and focusing on recovery.
In the meantime, she said she’s grateful for the video and photo updates from her son, who is hiking the Connecticut portion of the Appalachian Trail: “I’m living vicariously through him.”