Regina Badura
Southbury Land Trust, Inc. Stewardship Director
stewardship@southburylandtrust.org.

Click Here For A Comprehensive List Of Land Stewardship Tasks

A comprehensive land stewardship program is composed of fifty volunteers who serve as property monitors or land stewards or both. There is a formal land monitoring training program which consists of two hours of classroom instruction and at least another two hours in the field.

As weather permits, there are numerous stewardship “parties” tackling major issues on the farms such as invasive plant eradication, farm debris clean up, fence repair and brush clearing and burning. Five recent Eagle Scout projects of reciprocal benefit have included trail blazing, bench building, invasive plant removal, field rehabilitation, barn-painting, fencing, stonewall repair, sign-posting and lots of clean-up.

Certainly the 265 acres of farmland presents the greatest stewardship challenge. Although each farm has its own individual requirements, there are also many common demands these old farms make of the SLT. First, is posting signs on all the boundaries of the farm – a monumental effort which must be accurate and thorough. Stewards take this opportunity to introduce themselves to abutting neighbors and gain more knowledge about the land they are tending. Another major demand is fencing – miles of it. But, before the fences can be repaired, the fencelines must be cleared of all the vines and prickers – invasive plants which need to be eradicated from a farm. This activity exposed some lovely old fieldstone walls no one had seen for years. The stewardship committee conquered these fence lines on Platt Farm from 2003 through 2005 and in the beginning of 2006, with the aid of a grant from the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service, nearly two miles of new fence was installed.

Phillips Farm also has a fenceline issue which has been addressed by local Eagle Scouts. A continuing, three-year project (now with the fourth eagle scout segment) has cleared the fenceline along the road of invasive plants, crumbling stonewalls, decayed fence posts, dangerous rusty old barbed wire and transformed it a sturdy boundary along the roadway which is also attractive. The scouts have also cleared much of the adjacent meadow of the invasive plants to benefit both wildlife and open space views the public may enjoy. SLT farmer, Rollie Hannan, has volunteered dozens of hours restoring old overgrown fields so they may be farmed again. Also under the NRCS Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program, he has cleared invasive plants so the wildlife may thrive.

Lovdal Farm is now also being transformed under the expert efforts of the stewardship committee. They have opened up meadows and fields and cleared away overgrowth from a beautiful old stonewall. Grants and funding are being sought to develop a trail system on this farm which connects it with Phillips Farm. This phased project will be ongoing for the next few years and involve the stewardship committee, the tenant farmer and scouts.

Trail work is the other main activity of the stewardship group. Grooming the existing trails on Ivers, Paradise Hill and Koons Nature preserves is done on an on-going basis. A loop trail at the Henry & Dorothy Bassett Preserve was designed and blazed in 2005. In early 2006 almost two miles of trails were created on Platt Farm encompassing ridges, vista views, geologic highlights, riverside walking and strolling along a scenic designated road. An eagle scout project on Koons Preserve shored up trails so the public can safely hike and enjoy this dramatic property. Another scout project bridged trails on Ivers Preserve to keep the hikers dry as well as protect wetland and wildlife habitat.

Anyone interested in “partying” with the stewardship group or monitoring a specific piece of SLT property, should contact Regina Badura, stewardship@southburylandtrust.org