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Cheeseman Hails Salem Land Trust Grant

Posted on May 10, 2023

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SALEM – State Rep. Holly Cheeseman (R-37) today applauded a state grant awarded to the Salem Land Trust, Inc. through the Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Grant Program and the Urban Green and Community Gardens Grant Program, which are both administered by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) for the Stahlschmidt Preserve Project.

The state grant awarded is in the amount of $139,750 is for the 47.53-acre forested property that features a stream and around 15 acres of inland wetlands.

“This state grant to the Salem Land Trust for the Stahlschmidt property is an outstanding opportunity for the state to realize its conservation objectives by protecting local and regional landscape connectivity for humans and wildlife alike,” said Rep. Cheeseman.

The Stahlschmidt Preserve wetlands and watercourse drain into a stream which feeds Latimer Brook, headwaters of the Niantic River watershed. The forest includes a mix of tree species such as oak, birch and maple, and shrubs such as highbush blueberry, winterberry and mountain laurel. The forested inland wetlands host flora and fauna such as wood frogs, salamanders, marsh marigold, jack-in-the-pulpit, and wood anemone.

The Salem Land Trust plans to clear some trees to create a public parking area at the road and a single loop trail for passive recreational and environmental educational use. If timber foot bridges are deemed needed, the Salem Land Trust will seek local inland wetland permits to install bridges to minimize erosion, maintain surface water flows, and protect wetland resources from pedestrian use and travel. A management plan including public use, environmental education, and natural resource stewardship needs will be developed for the property.

 

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