Land Trust Pays It Off
The end of March marked a significant occasion for the Guilford Land Conservation Trust (GLCT): The group made its final, $100,000 payment on the 17-acre parcel of land located in the center of Westwoods.
For more than four decades, the trust had been eying this parcel, one of the only pieces of land left in Westwoods that was not owned by the State of Connecticut or the GLCT. In August 2012, GLCT entered into a three-year-long, $300,000 contract with the private owner of this parcel to purchase the land, and, although the economy was in what GLCT President Sarah Williams called a "difficult place," the GLCT board understood that this was not an opportunity to be missed.
Spreading the payments for the parcel out over several years afforded GLCT the additional time needed for fundraising.
"We are very excited that we have made the final payment on this land and it is officially part of Westwoods now," said Williams. "We received donations ranging from $25 to $30,000 to make this happen and every one of those donations, large and small, was important to our success."
In addition to individual donations, GLCT was also awarded a $60,000 grant from the State of Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection's Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Grant Program.
"This land is, quite literally, at the center of Westwoods. Several trails cross over it, including the popular White Circle trail, and preserving it ensures that the Westwoods forest will not be fragmented at its core," said Williams. "Westwoods is a defining and much-loved resource for Guilford and the region, and the land trust is committed to its conservation."
Westwoods is located less than a mile and a half from downtown Guilford and serves as a significant watershed to the Long Island Sound. Under GLCT ownership, the land is accessible to the public during daylight hours for passive recreational use such as hiking, running, birding, and mountain biking.
GLCT, which acquires and conserves natural places for future generations, was founded in 1965 and bought its first Westwoods holding in 1969. Since then, the all-volunteer, non-profit group has continued to acquire parcels and has been successful in obtaining land either through gifts, reduced prices, or payment plans.
For more information, visit www.guilfordlandtrust.org.