Today, State Senator Ceci Maher (D-Wilton) and State Representative Anne Hughes (D-Easton, Redding, Weston) welcomed the recent announcement that the Aspetuck Land Trust will receive a $521,300 grant from the state’s Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Grant Program for the preservation of 20.76 acres of land.
“There is avital need to keep our air clean, our ecosystems active and our communities green, and we do this through preserving open space and protecting nature,” said Sen. Maher. “The land purchase provides the community additional outdoor recreation opportunities and will serve as a connecting point for a much larger forest reserve in the future. I’m excited about the impact of this grant and am thankful to Governor Lamont and state leaders for their support of Weston.”
“The preservation of this open space provides natural climate mitigation solutions, protects wildlife, maintains healthy air and clean water, and promotes bountiful outdoor recreational opportunities throughout the region,” said Rep. Hughes. “I welcome this grant from the Lamont administration as tacit recognition that equitable access to open, green space is a significant priority.”
“Our mission is to protect land forever and connect people to the natural world,” said Aspetuck Land Trust Executive Director David Brant. “We are supported by nearly 2,000 generous local donors who care about land conservation. We do everything we can to leverage this private support with state grants to save more land and our partnership with the state is critical. Land doesn’t preserve itself, people preserve land.”
“It is critical that we set aside some of the gorgeous natural resources we have in the state and protect it as open space in perpetuity for everyone to enjoy for generations,” Governor Ned Lamont said. “The funds we are announcing today will not only help combat the impacts of climate change, but they will also create more equitable access to outdoor green spaces within our most underserved communities.”
The funds will support the Land Trust’s acquisition of the “Belknap II Property,” located at 0 Wampum Hill Road in Weston. The property is undeveloped woodland with a brook and wetlands, connecting to the existing Norwalk Heritage Greenway.
This acquisition is part of Aspetuck Land Trust’s long-term effort to create the 705-acre Weston Wilton Forest Reserve, which will provide local hiking opportunities and connect with other greenways and open spaces like the Norwalk River Valley Trail and the Devil’s Den Preserve, controlled by The Nature Conservancy.
This investment comes as part of a larger $14.5 million to aid the purchase and protection of more than 2,600 acres of open space throughout Connecticut, including 17projects in 18 cities and towns. That’s the largest round of open space protection awards provided by the state in more than a decade.
