News

There are moments in land conservation that fundamentally reshape the map of our protected landscapes. Litchfield Land Trust (LLT) recently celebrated exactly that: the grand opening of an expansive new trail system at the Vincent Blakely Forest Preserve. Representing the most significant land purchase in LLT’s 56-year legacy, this project stands as a monumental triumph for regional climate resilience and public recreation.

The Power of Leveraged Funding

An acquisition of this magnitude requires a sophisticated financial scaffolding. To cross the finish line on the $650,000 purchase price, LLT masterfully blended public and private funding sources. The primary engine was the state’s Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition (OSWA) grant program, which provided a foundational $422,500. This was paired with $162,500 from the federal Highlands Conservation Act grant program.

This is where your support of CLCC moves the needle. Long before a project of this scale can close, critical administrative and technical tasks must be completed to satisfy stringent state and federal grant criteria. CLCC supported LLT with two vital grants from our own donor-funded programs:

• A Transaction Assistance Grant (TAG) to fund the complex A-2 boundary survey.

• A Land and Easement Acquisition Program (LEAP) grant to directly support the remaining acquisition costs.

By stepping in with rapid-response, flexible capital, CLCC ensured that this once-in-a-lifetime conservation opportunity was secured smoothly and efficiently.

Why the Vincent Blakely Forest Preserve Matters

From an ecological perspective, the 105-acre Vincent Blakely Forest Preserve is an absolute powerhouse. One hundred of its acres are designated as core forest, sitting within a 703-acre block. It forms a vital anchor inside a highly resilient northwest Connecticut landscape—serving as a critical climate corridor featured on the Housatonic Valley Association’s Follow the Forest map.

The land possesses a stunning diversity of habitats, including forested wetlands and a pristine cold-water stream running through the headwaters of the Northfield Brook-Naugatuck River watershed. By protecting these upland forests and wetlands in their natural state, the preserve guarantees cooler water temperatures and improved fish habitats downstream, preserving clean drinking water that flows all the way to Long Island Sound.

From a Single Parcel to a 5-Mile Trail System

What makes this acquisition truly magical for the community is its strategic geography. The parcel directly adjoins a 314-acre mosaic of preserved lands co-held by LLT, the Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy, the Morris Land Trust, and the State of Connecticut.

By bridging the gap between these separate open spaces, the parcel effectively completes a massive, 1,000-acre contiguous block of protected wilderness stretching all the way to Topsmead State Forest.

For outdoor enthusiasts, the results are magnificent. The new trails built in the Preserve link seamlessly with existing paths on the neighboring Morris Land Trust property and connect right into LLT’s highly popular Stillman-Danaher Preserve Trail System. This opens up more than five miles of interconnected, continuous hiking trails with public access points stretching from three different roads.

Congratulations to the Litchfield Land Trust on this monumental triumph—thank you for reminding us all what it means to act quickly, think boldly, and protect the places we love!