Millions in conservation funding awarded to Northwest Corner

SALISBURY — The Salisbury Association received a $1,592,500 state grant last week to preserve a 297-acre parcel of undeveloped land in the Housatonic Watershed known as Tom’s Hill.

The property is part of a larger land deal involving a multi-faceted effort by a coalition of conservation groups, including several Limited Liability Companies (LLC’s), to preserve and protect a large swath of more than 1,000 contiguous acres of scenic pastures, forests and farmland in Northwest Connecticut and Southern Berkshire County, from development.

In total, the state awarded $14.5 million in state grants for the purchase and protection of more than 2,626 acres of open space through 17 projects in 18 municipalities across Connecticut.

In the Northwest Corner, the Salisbury Association and the Kent-based Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy (NCLC) were among the grant recipients.

The funds awarded to the Salisbury Association, to be administered by its land trust, are provided through the state’s Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Grant Program, administered by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP).

“Thrilled,” is how John Landon, co-chairman of the Salisbury Association Land Trust (SALT) committee, reacted to news of the nearly $1.6 million state open space grant to protect and preserve Tom’s Hill.

“This would all not have been possible without the LLC that was created to buy the land from Bob Boyett and take it off the market to give us time to raise the funds,” said Landon. “We’re in deep debt and gratitude to them for stepping up and allowing us to have time to raise the money.”

Landon said the state grant represented 65 percent of the purchase price, which is the maximum amount awarded.
“We felt reasonably optimistic the state would come through with that amount. It moves us a long way toward completing the deal.”

He said the Salisbury Association also applied for a grant through the federal Highlands Conservation Act Grant Program, “which is only available to certain sites with higher elevations. Not all of Connecticut qualifies for that, but our area does.”

The Highlands grant, he said, would “top off” the state open space grant up to 90 percent of the purchase price, “and then we would have a small amount remaining to raise from private foundation.”

The goal, he said, is to finalize the land transfer to SALT by early 2025.

Tom’s Hill lies easterly of Salisbury’s Twin Lakes and westerly of the Housatonic River, rising above East Twin Lake to the summit of Tom’s Hill.

The parcel abuts large blocks of protected land, 540 acres to the northeast and 418 acres to the southeast, that link the property to the Housatonic River, containing outstanding viewsheds, scenic vistas and ridgelines. It represents prime recreation opportunities for scenic hiking, with complex terrain with ridges, knobs, cirques, benches and ravines.

Accessible via Twin Lakes Road, Tom’s Hill is almost entirely core forest, consists of a mixed northern transitional forest of hardwoods and conifers and includes at-risk habitats including forested swamps, freshwater wetlands and riparian lands adjacent to cold water streams.

Part of the Housatonic River Watershed, the property contains three miles of streams and riparian corridors that drain to East Twin Lake, an important fishery resource.

In addition to the Salisbury Association, the Kent-based Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy (NCLC) received two open space grant awards from the state for a total of $4.5 million towards the acquisition of the 650-acre Milde Farm in Litchfield and Torrington, and the 117-acre Glen Brook in Sherman.

Milde Farm is one of the largest undeveloped parcels remaining in Northwest Connecticut. The property contains farmland and core forest and supports diverse forest types including stands of conifer and hemlock, riparian forested wetlands and oak/mixed hardwood stands. The farms to the west and south are permanently protected by conservation easements held by the Litchfield Land Trust.

In making the announcement, Executive Director Catherine Rawson said the acquisitions “advance NCLC’s new strategic goals of increasing access and opportunities for people and communities to enjoy the region’s natural environment, while also accelerating the pace and scale of conservation to ensure we meet and sustain a goal of protecting 30 percent of our region’s land and waters by 2030.”

Gov. Ned Lamont said the grants mark the largest round of open space protection awards, both by acreage protected and by dollars awarded, in more than a decade.

“Connecticut is the fourth most densely populated state in the country, and it is critical that we set aside some of the gorgeous natural resources we have in the state and protect it as open space in perpetuity for everyone to enjoy for generations.”

Since the Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition program began in 1998, more than $161 million in state funding has been awarded to municipalities, nonprofit land conservation organizations and water companies to assist in the purchase of more than 43,000 acres of publicly accessible land, according to DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes.

“Open space preservation is more important now than ever,” she said. “These lands provide critical natural climate mitigation solutions, protect our important wildlife habitat and species, maintain healthy air and clean water, and provide outdoor recreational opportunities.”