MLT acquires 14-acre parcel

#MIDDLEBURY #MLT

The Middlebury Land Trust’s (MLT) most recent acquisition is shown in dark green on this map. The parcel connects the MLT’s Camp Parcel and North Shore Reserve Parcel. (Submitted map)

By JANINE SULLIVAN-WILEY

On April 28, 2017, the Middlebury Land Trust’s (MLT) newest acquisition joined the ranks of properties conserved in Middlebury. At roughly 14 acres, the land formerly owned by the White Deer Rock Land Corporation joins two previously separated MLT tracts.

On the MLT maps, these are No. 10 – the Camp Parcel – to the north and No. 35 – the North Shore Reserve Parcel – to the south. White Deer Rocks Road bisects them, forming the northern boundary of the newest and as yet unnamed parcel. (See map that accompanies this article.) The three properties now form almost 50 contiguous acres.

Bill Crutcher, a long-time Middlebury resident and MLT member, was a prime driver in this process. He was very happy when it was completed and said, “It is a marvelous connection between the two properties. It joins them together in a single holding that might some day become a nature preserve with trails.”

Bill serves as the site manager for the now-adjoining properties, and he noted that having the new property also will give him improved access in his monitoring duties. He has usually done these in the drier seasons due to the many swampy areas. Such monitoring of its conserved properties is a key responsibility of the Land Trust.

By some accounts, the three parcels comprise some of the most useless land in the area. It is swampy and full of steep ravines and rocks; certainly not suitable for lawns or golf. But from a conservation viewpoint it is marvelous: it protects the water course that travels sometimes above and sometimes below ground, with streams transitioning to swamp and back again, eventually draining into Tyler’s Cove and Lake Quassapaug. The land has upland forest with mixed hardwood and pine, wetland forest, few invasive species, and dense stands of native mountain laurel. Bear tracks have been seen in there, and it is excellent habitat for many of the other wild denizens of our area. Clearly, this land was an excellent addition to the MLT roster.

The process of planning, acquisition and monitoring is central to the goals and function of the Middlebury Land Trust and of land trusts across Connecticut. Those interested in learning more about this are encouraged to come to the MLT annual meeting on Tuesday, June 6, beginning at 7 p.m. in the Shepardson Community Center Auditorium.

This year the featured guest speaker is Amy Blaymore Patterson, executive director of the Connecticut Land Conservation Council. She will give an overview of land conservation efforts throughout the state and discuss challenges the conservation community faces now and in the years ahead. This will be a valuable opportunity to learn from an expert in this area.

The meeting also is an excellent opportunity for residents who are not a part of the Middlebury Land Trust to learn more about it and how they might be able to help support the preservation of open space in our own town. Patterson said, “It’s not about changing the world. It’s about how communities can connect with their land trusts and how land trusts can connect with community interests.”