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11/01/2017 08:30 AMBarbara Helander, one of the founding members and the current vice president of the Westbrook Land Conservation Trust (WLCT), says the idea for the trust started among friends in 1968 as a way to preserve the natural lands along the Connecticut shoreline.
“We decided there had to be an effort to save the loss of salt marshes in the area,” Barbara says.
Citing a loss of 80 percent of salt marshes statewide, Barbara says in the nearly 50 years since its inception, the WLCT has been through “lots of legislation” to protect natural resources.
Barbara says the WLCT was formed to “set up a vehicle where land can be donated and we’d oversee it.” Barbara says the initial donation was of a salt marsh area that was in danger of being purchased for the expansion of a marina in town. Now, Barbara says WLCT oversees 100 parcels of land between wetlands and woods.
Asked to consider a rewarding part of her work with the trust, Barbara pauses for a moment.
“I think the idea of making people aware that things need to be guarded,” she answers.
As an example, Barbara points to the story of a local pond filled with litter such as motors, plumbing equipment, and chemicals—“All kinds of stuff,” Barbara says with some exasperation.
The trust cleaned up the pond, and taught residents why they shouldn’t pollute the water, and that they listened. The trust also met with school children to teach them why they shouldn’t put things in the storm drains, as the garbage would end up in the Long Island Sound.
Barbara says that over the years, the group has seen progress.
“The town has been receptive,” Barbara says.
Like many groups with ambitious goals, Barbara says that funding is one of the buiggest challenges working with the trust.
“You look at some towns where there’s more cash, and we’re not in that position,” Barbara says.
Membership is another area where the trust could use some help.
“It’s hard to getting people to join. We’d love to get more members.” Barbara says. “We’ve been around for so long that some of our original members have passed away.”
That’s not to say that the trust is slowing down. The trust and Friends of the Westbrook Barrier Islands teamed up to clean up Menunketesuck and Duck Islands.
“Tons of stuff washed up,” Barbara says.
Barbara says it was important to clean up the islands due to the wildlife on the islands.
“Rare birds have returned to the islands,” Barbara notes, adding she’s heard that some of the returning species hadn’t been seen in the area for 20 years.
Barbara, who retired nearly 20 years ago, volunteers her time doing ecological work “for the next generation.”
“We need to have a place for them,” Barbara says.
Before she was involved with the WLCT, Barbara was an art instructor. Her favorite part? “Everything.”
“I’ve taught every age level,” she says.
Barbara says she specifically loves painting, but due to her teaching career, which she says brought her to “a lot of places,” she “had to learn a lot of skills.”
Barbara was also once the president of the Clinton Art Society.
Born in France, Barbara lived in Ohio, and then moved to Clinton 50 years ago.
These days, Barbara says her hobbies in her free time include painting, though she says in her younger years she was also a fan of hiking. Barbara also enjoys spending time with her husband Gordon, her son Andrew, and her daughter Alice.
For more information about the Westbrook Land Conservation Trust, visit westbrookct.us/land-use.php.