Clean Trail Grant
Southbury Land Trust recently received a Clean Trail grant from Extreme Terrain in the amount of $250. The company is on a messaging campaign to remind the public of best practices when enjoying outdoor spaces. This message includes Pack-In Pack-Out, and Leave Only Footprints, and is an effort to remind everyone to treat sensitive terrain gently and respectfully. The grant will be purposed for Koons Preserve. Grant monies will be used to purchase much needed hand tools that SLT stewards will use to remove barberry. This is the first of a multi-phase removal of barberry from the property. The public is welcome to help in these stewardship efforts. You can contact SLT at admin@southburylandtrust.org for more information.
Phillips-Lovdal Improvements Completed
Work was recently completed on expanding and improving parking at Southbury Land Trust’s Phillips-Lovdal Farm Preserve. The work was funded by a generous grant from Connecticut Community Foundation.
The project, completed in mid-July 2022, created enhanced access with the construction of a safe, stable, dry and defined area of parking for those visiting the properties. Phillip-Lovdal Farm Preserve hosts a number of Southbury Land Trust public events each year, including hikes. The conserved property has a 5K course (built in 2019), and an extended network of trails for the public’s use.
The Southbury Land Trust is a private, nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to the preservation of farmland, open spaces, and other natural resources for the benefit of present and future residents of Southbury. SLT is supported by memberships and donations and since its founding in 1978, the Southbury Land Trust has protected more than 2,000 acres.
Established in 1923, Connecticut Community Foundation was created by and for the people of Greater Waterbury and the Litchfield Hills. While serving this 21-town region, the Foundation works to address the community’s critical issues, funds programs benefiting local residents, supports efforts to improve systems to foster more equitable outcomes for residents, strengthens local organizations through learning and outreach, and works with individuals, families and corporations to steward charitable and scholarship funds.
CT DEEP Open Space Grant Awarded to SLT
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SOUTHBURY LAND TRUST
Southbury Land Trust Awarded $253,500 OSWA Grant To Fund New Parcel Preservation and Development
(Southbury, CT, June 14, 2022) - The Southbury Land Trust has been awarded an OSWA (Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition) grant of $253,500 from CT DEEP to preserve a 31-acre parcel located at 786 Reservoir Road and 443 Woodbury Road. Formerly known as the Bothwell property, the site has historic, cultural and environmental significance, according to SLT President Joseph Ruggiero. “Conserving this property is important in myriad ways. It protects important water resources and wildlife. It also creates a connected, open space corridor with its location adjacent to Woodbury’s 245-acre Trolley Bed Preserve to the north and Southbury Land Trust’s Sterling Woods Preserve to the south. The potential for the public’s enjoyment of the property is valuable as well.”
The property’s diverse habitat includes forest, forested wetlands, meadows, a pond, and a stream, which support a variety of plant and wildlife species. The SLT intends to make this property available to the public. SLT plans to design a trail network, a Pollinator Pathway Garden, and install an accessible wildlife viewing platform on the pond, as well as create an accessible parking area.
We are pleased with the award, said Ruggiero, and we are grateful to the support and input we received from the community, and the Towns of Southbury and Woodbury, with special thanks to Rick Dunne at NVCOG; Cindy Harrison, Southbury State Representative, as well as Southbury First Selectman, Jeff Manville; Ed Nagy with the Southbury Conservation Commission, and Nancy Clark from the Southbury Planning Commission. We are also thankful for the assistance of Barbara Perkinson, First Selectman, Woodbury, and Woodbury Conservation Commission’s David Taylor; Carol Haskins with the Pomperaug River Watershed Coalition and Leslie Kane, Director of Audubon, CT and NY.”
The public is invited to join SLT as we move forward with reimagining the property. Contact us at Admin@southburylandtrust.org and visit our website at www.southburylandtrust.org
The Southbury Land Trust is a private, member-supported non-profit corporation whose mission is preserving farmland, open spaces and other natural resources for the benefit of present and future residents of the town of Southbury.
Since its inception in 1978 the Southbury Land Trust has preserved more than 2,000 acres, including farmland and other natural spaces. Many of SLT’s picturesque properties are open to the public for passive recreation. Trail maps and other information may be found online at southburylandtrust.org.
Bothwell Farm Conservation Progress!
The Southbury Land Trust recently succeeded in closing on the purchase of the 31 acre Bothwell property located near the intersection of Reservoir Road and Old Woodbury Road in Southbury. While the conservation work continues, this is a milestone in SLT's ongoing effort to fully restore and protect this ecologically significant former dairy farm. This property is part of a growing greenbelt of preserved open space, linking Woodbury's 245 acre Trolley Bed Preserve and an existing Southbury Land Trust Preserve. The acquisition of this property will conserve significant wildlife habitat, headwater streams that feed an important watershed basin and once fully preserved, this land will provide a beautiful new nature sanctuary for all to enjoy. The property currently is closed to the public, but we hope to announce more news about potential Preserve opening dates and a celebration some time next spring/summer. This conservation effort is only made possible because of our partnership with the wonderful surrounding community. Donations to assist with the continuing preservation and stewardship of this future nature preserve are most welcome.
Herbicides Used At Platt Farm Preserve
Please note that we have decided not to use Roundup® or any chemical product with Glyphosate as its active ingredient this season. Below are the links to the Safety Data Sheets of the herbicides used.