Natural triumphs and trials last year in Sharon

SHARON — 2024 was a big year for Sharon’s natural and protected landscapes, which achieved victories, suffered losses and became sites of legal controversy.

Just one month into the year, a cherished sugar maple that stood at 60 Millerton Rd. for nearly three hundred years was felled for threats to power lines. Despite the loss of an integral piece of the town’s natural history, Sharon’s stately trees made a comeback in the fall when a common apple tree on the Sharon Land Trust’s Hamlin Preserve was declared the state champion of its species by CT Notable Trees, joining a nearby Chinkopin oak as Sharon’s second tree to win the title.

The Hamlin Preserve was abuzz with activity this year, with local nature photographer and environmental educator Tom Zetterstrom joining forces with SLT in leading a campaign to fight the spread of invasive bittersweet on the preserve where it had already strangled a cedar forest. Zetterstrom used the site as a case study to train the HVRHS Envirothon team in invasive plant management as its members prepare to try and represent Connecticut for the 11th time in the national competition later in 2025.

Aside from managing invasives, SLT kept busy. In October, it was announced that the Posey family donated 128 acres to the Trust, which will ensure it is protected as agricultural land in perpetuity as the Posey Family Preserve.

Elsewhere in town, however, historic farmlands were in trouble. Two separate parcels, known as the Paley Farm and Turkiewicz Farm, have been bought and are being developed into residences despite having been protected by agricultural easements since the 1980s. SLT and concerned resident Carol Flaton filed an injunction to stop construction on the farms, and are continuing to fight in court.

While lands were being disputed in the hills, culture was booming on Main St. The Voice of Art’s Fine Art Festival went down on a sunny September afternoon, with artists of all disciplines showcasing their craft under the grand façade of the newly-renovated Hotchkiss Library.

The Library, whose resign was completed in the summer of 2023, was honored in the October/September 2024 American Libraries issue “2024 Library Design Showcase” for its melding of its historic charm with contemporary infrastructure. According to newly-appointed board president Lorna Edmundsson, the library is “bucking the trends” afflicting other libraries with high subscription rates and a packed schedule of programming.

2024 also saw the BOS and other commissions act to improve municipal life in town. In February, Sharon received a grant of $1.1 million from the state’s Transportation Rural Improvement Program to repair degrading sidewalks around the green. In May, the volunteer-run Sharon Connect Task Force saw the completion of its project with Comcast Xfinity to bring high-speed internet to 270 previously unserved locations in town.

It marks yet another careful step into the future for Sharon, a town whose leaders and residents alike seek modern amenities without sacrificing its rural charm or historic character.