None The Nature Conservancy in Connecticut Press Releases Search All Press Releases Kerry Crisley 617-227-7017 ext. 316 kcrisley@tnc.org

49,998… 49,999… 50,000! The Nature Conservancy reaches 50,000-acre milestone in Connecticut

MIDDLETOWN, CT — September 16, 2008 — Some numbers just have a certain ring to them. For a baseball player, it’s 3,000. For a marathon runner, it’s 26.2. For The Nature Conservancy in Connecticut, the magic number is 50,000.

By completing a conservation easement on 450 acres in the Quinebaug Highlands and partnering with the Town of Redding to preserve 29 acres in the Saugatuck River watershed, the Conservancy has now helped to protect more than 50,000 acres of forests, rivers, and coastline across the state.

“Our own well being is directly linked to the health of our lands and waters, as we all depend on the services they provide, like clean air, clean water and food,” said Lise Hanners, Director of The Nature Conservancy in Connecticut. “Working at this scale is the best way to protect nature’s infrastructure, particularly as our landscapes adapt to the impacts of climate change.”

The 50,000-acre milestone includes other landmark projects like Beckley Bog (the organization’s first Connecticut land purchase in 1957), the Devil’s Den Preserve and Centennial Watershed State Forest.

The lands protected this week include 450 acres in the Quinebaug Highlands, an expanse of unbroken forests and sparkling streams in the northeast corner of the state. With the help of a grant from the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA), the Conservancy was able to establish a conservation easement on land owned and managed by Hull Forestlands in Union. The property is home to wetlands, streams and forest that are critical wintering and staging areas for migratory waterfowl. The area also sustains the largest drinking water supply watershed in Connecticut, with benefits that trickle down all the way to Long Island Sound.

In southwest Connecticut, the Conservancy teamed with the Town of Redding to purchase a key parcel within an 11-mile greenway, most of which parallels the Aspetuck River, one of three primary tributaries to the Saugatuck River.  The property is bordered on the north and south by the Centennial Watershed State Forest, which the Conservancy helped protect with the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection and Aquarion Water Company.

For more on The Nature Conservancy’s work in Connecticut, visit nature.org/connecticut.
 

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. The Conservancy and its more than 1 million members have protected nearly 120 million acres worldwide. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.