Watershed, drinking water. Birding. Archaeological assets. Diversity. Vernal pools. Habitats. Room to roam.

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Town: Lyme

Project Title: Johnson Preserve
Sponsor: Town of Lyme
Address: 194 Norwich-Salem Road
Grant: $870,000
Acreage: 250 acres

Description: Falling within the “River to Ridge” greenway, this acquisition has for decades been a priority for the Town to permanently protect. Located in north-central Lyme almost abutting East Haddam, this property has over a 1/2 mile of road frontage (Rt. 82) and abuts more than 1,700 acres of protected open space. It has a rugged landscape with elevation from 200 to 465 feet above sea level. This parcel is in the Eightmile River watershed and is now designated by Audubon as an “Important Bird Area.”

Town: Madison

Project Title: Luft Property
Sponsor: South Central Conn. Regional Water Authority
Address: 347 County Road
Grant: $184,800
Acreage: 44 acres

Description: Located in Madison off Rt. 79 (Rockland), this undeveloped parcel (rear) contains 29 acres of Class I and 15 acres of Class II watershed land in the Hammonasset River Watershed. The acquisition is designed to eliminate the fragmentation of the watershed lands and improve protection of a drinking water supply.

Town: Mansfield

Project Title: Simpson Family Property
Sponsor: Town of Mansfield
Address: 652 Warrenville Road
Grant: $207,000
Acreage: 114 acres

Description: Located in the central eastern portion of the town on Warrenville Road, this parcel is characterized as an undeveloped woodlot with limited development potential based on soils, its stony nature, presences of wetlands and steep slopes. This property is located across the street from the Mt. Hope Property protected with the assistance of a grant from this program in 1999. A portion of this property is identified in the Natural Diversity Database. This is a large parcel with natural and archeological assets along with the potential to provide quality passive recreational and educational opportunities.

Town: North Haven

Project Title: 182 Kings Highway
Sponsor: Town of North Haven
Address: 182 Kings Highway
Grant: $200,250
Acreage: 29.55 acres

Description: Existing between Kings Highway and Hartford Turnpike in the northwest quadrant of the town, this 29.55-acre parcel is sandwiched among residential house lots. A former orchard, the lot contains 6.9 acres of land that can be classified wetland, intermittent watercourses and a vernal pool. The property does slope from the northwest to the southeast from 56 to over 500 feet ASL. The parcel is undeveloped with only remnants of the former farm existing.

Town: North Stonington

Project Title: Green Falls River Glen
Sponsor: Avalonia Land Conservancy, Inc.
Address: 119 Puttker Road
Grant: $195,000
Acreage: 86.5 acres

Description: With over a half-mile of river frontage on the Green Falls River, this property is located off Puttker Road in northeastern portion of North Stonington, 1/2 mile from Pachaug State Forest. This river is stocked by DEEP. The property is composed of 33 acres of wetland, vernal pools, prime farmland soils and home to a historic woolen mill area, and is part of an Aquifer Protection Area of the Pawcatuck River basin.

Town: North Stonington, Griswold and Preston

Project Title: Tri-Town Ridgeline Forest
Sponsor: Avalonia Land Conservancy, Inc.
Address: 85 Miller Road
Grant: $555,000
Acreage: 409 acres

Description: This property is located in the towns of North Stonington, Griswold and Preston. The parcels link about 1,400 acres of protected land owned by Avalonia (76 acres), The Nature Conservancy (Cons. Easement), State DEEP (Pachaug State Forest, 213 acres), and conservation restricted land held by the Town of North Stonington (133 acres). This property is an unfragmented forest (currently under PA490, chestnut oak upland forest), with more than 4 miles of trails (stone-walled), 100-foot cliffs, three mountains (240’ to 506’ ASL, Lambert Mountain), and with vast and varied wildlife habitat.

Town: Old Lyme

Project Title: Denison Parcel
Sponsor: Old Lyme Land Trust. Inc.
Address: Short Hills Road
Grant: $36,113
Acreage: 10.7 acres

Description: Located in Old Lyme central and very close to the East Lyme Town line, this forested parcel would accomplish three major objectives: 1. contribute toward protecting an important watershed (Three Mile River), 2. enlarge an area of protected open space, and 3. expand upon a growing and valuable recreational resource.

Town: Preston

Project Title: Kendall/Thoma Preserve
Sponsor: Avalonia Land Conservancy, Inc.
Address: 16 Rude Road
Grant: $195,750
Acreage: 177 acres

Description: Located in northeastern Preston, this property is primarily an undeveloped forested lot (currently in PA490) transected by Rattlesnake Brook, Folly Works Brook and Broad Brook. The property contains wide and diverse habitats including open fields (still being hayed), shrub swamp, red maple swamp, riparian and upland woodland and a sand barren.

Town: Sherman

Project Title: Eastman Parcel
Sponsor: Naromi Land Trust, Inc.
Address: Off Evans Hill Road
Grant: $76,500
Acreage: 37.83 acres

Description: Located in northern Sherman south of Ten Mile River, this undeveloped forested property abuts land currently protected by Naromi Land Trust (142 ac.) and Federal Land associated with the Appalachian Trail (255 ac.). The property is a mix of hardwood/hemlock forest, steep slopes, stone walls, wooded wetland (3 ac.), vernal pool, rock outcroppings, and vistas of the Housatonic River.

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