Governor Lamont Awards 29 Grants To Preserve Nearly 3,000 Acres of Connecticut Land and 5 Grants to Enhance Urban Green Spaces
I am happy to share that Governor Lamont’s administration has awarded multiple grants to protect and preserve open space land across Connecticut. Three of them have been awarded right here in the 34th district!
The grants are authorized under the state’s Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Program and the Urban Green and Community Garden Project administered by DEEP. These grants will assist local governments, land trusts, and water companies in purchasing land to protect as open space.
Town: East Haddam
Project Name: Hayward Parcel – O’Connell Road Extension
Sponsor: Town of East Haddam
Grant: $96,900
Total Area: 124 acres
Description: This 124-acre parcel is located on the east side of O’Connell Road Extension in East Haddam. It is mostly forested and contains mainly oak trees but also has maple and beech trees. It contains a large red maple wetland and at least one large vernal pool. It is located at the headwaters of the Eightmile River Watershed and is part of a greenbelt that extends from Hamburg Cove in Lyme through the Eightmile River watershed to the Salmon River Watershed. The parcel is part of the Lyme Forest Block Important Bird Area and supports a variety of woodland-nesting bird species. It is part of an extensive series of protected open space.
Town: East Hampton
Project Name: Christopher Property
Sponsor: Town of East Hampton
Grant: $46,500
Total Area: 7.5 acres
Description: This property contains Christopher Pond, an approximately 1.3-acre pond fed by Christopher Brook, a direct tributary to Lake Pocotopaug. The brook contributes approximately 21% of the total water load into the lake. This City is motivated to purchase this property in the hopes of protecting the water quality of the brook and in turn improving the water quality of the lake which suffers from cyanobacteria blooms every summer. There is a series of protected parcels upstream (to the south) of Christopher Brook including land owned by the Town of East Hampton (5 acres), a Middlesex Land Trust Preserve (3.5 acres), and a 52 acre open space parcel known as Spice Hill Woods. If acquired, the public would have use of the property for fishing, kayaking, hiking, and picnicking.
Town: Colchester
Project Name: Sablitz Property
Sponsor: Town of Colchester
Grant: $63,000
Total Area: 65 acres
Description: This property is located at the southern end of the State-designated Pine Brook Greenway. Wetlands on the property feed into Pine Brook which runs along its western boundary. Pine Brook is a tributary of to the Jeremy River, both of which have Class A designation. Almost the entire property has been designated as an “Aquifer Protection Zone.” The conservation of this property would protect 2,600 feet of riparian area. The town plans to connect this property to the Richard Goodwin Trail and will construct a gravel parking area for 8-10 vehicles as well as a picnic area.
For more information about these grants, click here.