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09/21/2022 09:19 AMWhen state and local officials gathered at Deer Lake earlier this year, the mood was decidedly somber: the Boy Scouts’ Connecticut Yankee Council (CYC) had just announced intent to sell the 255-acre parcel to a developer, seemingly closing the door to preserving the property.
On Sept. 16, residents, advocates, camp supporters, and lawmakers were in the mood for a celebration. After months of negotiations and rejected proposals, a $4.75-million deal had closed and nonprofit Pathfinders, Inc. was officially the new owner of Deer Lake.
“We want to thank every one of our 1,300-plus donors who gave to help make this day possible,” Pathfinders President Ted Langevin told the gathered crowd.
Described as a “hail Mary” by several officials, the effort to acquire the land and preserve Deer Lake took several turns before the deal finally closed. The property looked slated for development when it was announced that a developer and board member of the CYC, the then-owners of the camp, would be purchasing the property for almost double the property’s appraised value. The matter was further complicated when State Attorney General William Tong’s office announced it were looking into the potential sale for possible conflicts of interest violations and the sale’s “legality.”
A lawsuit filed by a Madison resident focused on whether the potential sale by CYC was in violation of environmental regulations concerning the property’s status as a bird sanctuary. Both of those issues, the lawsuit, and the review by the Attorney General’s office were dropped when the announcement of the sale to Pathfinders was made earlier this month.
Despite a few last-minute details that needed to be sorted out, the property was transferred to Pathfinders, and the camp and the property will now be permanently protected.
“I’m just thrilled that this day has come. It’s not only for Pathfinders, but for Killingworth and, in fact, the whole shoreline,” said Killingworth First Selectman Nancy Gorski. “This feels so good. Back in March, all we were doing was talking and talking and negotiating and then I honestly thought we had lost and that was the end of it.”
Senator Richard Blumenthal, who according to local officials worked dilligently behind the scenes in the effort to preserve the property, expressed his gratitude for all the hard work to preserve the parcel.
“This is a profoundly important moment. It has meaning and resonance well beyond the 255 acres of Deer Lake. It shows that we are turning a corner and reversing the tide on development in America. In my view, this come-from-behind success shows how to do it, and how to do it right. Just a few months ago we were here in this same spot and we were despairing, but the triumph of hope…has worked wonders,” Blumenthal said. “What this will mean is that generation of campers, anglers, and hikers will have the opportunity to enjoy a legacy. This really is a legacy. We have an obligation to leave it as a legacy and to be stewards, and that we fulfill our part of the bargain of ‘do no harm’, and in fact, enhance. There is nothing wrong with development in the right places. People need housing, but not here. I am so grateful to all of the donors, contributors, activists, and advocates…who really make this happen at the end of the day. It’s folks like yourselves who take a stand, speak up, stand out, and make it happen.”
The next step for Pathfinders and for the town will be paying down a nearly $1.8-million-dollar loan that was required in order to secure the property. Until that loan is paid off, the property cannot receive a conservation easement, but the groups and individuals involved are currently working on several sources of funding, including recently passed federal legislation, that may provide substantial resources to assist in that effort.
Former Killingworth First Selectwoman Cathy Iino said she was optimistic that fundraising efforts would be successful in helping with the loan.
“People were really worried that this day would never come, so we are very excited,” Iino said. “Now we still have to raise $1.8 million dollars to help Pathfinders with their loan, but we’re optimistic that enough people understand the beauty and importance of this place and will step up to help.”