TPL, Audubon, Town Mark Successful Partnership
At its recent meeting, the Board of Finance accepted a $260,000 grant from the Trust for Public Land (TPL) and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to be applied to the acquisition costs for the former Griswold Airport.
Just a week before, the Board of Selectmen took a similar action. And just weeks before that, First Selectman Fillmore McPherson signed a conservation easement to permanently protect 20.6 acres of the 42-acre site from development. These actions are among the final steps in a process that has brought together a beneficial public/private partnership that saw the successful purchase of the Griswold property and the protection of its most ecologically sensitive areas.
The conservation easement will be held and managed by the State of Connecticut. The easement promises the land along the Hammonasett River, salt marshes, and coastal grassland will be conserved, and allows for passive recreation, such as hiking and birdviewing. It was signed by the town in exchange for $500,000 in grant funds used to help pay for the cost of acquiring the land.
For the full story, see the Sept. 15 issue of The Source and go to Zip06.com.