Stretching across the heart of Guilford, Westwoods forest is a local—and regional—environmental treasure. On Feb. 8 the Guilford Land Conservation Trust (GLCT) announced the acquisition of another 30-acre parcel in Westwoods.

The land, often referred to as “The Missing Piece,” is the final central holding in the forest. With this property in hand, Westwoods is now a 1,000-acre, conserved forest on the Connecticut shoreline. GLCT started purchasing land in Westwoods back in 1968 and this particular parcel has been of interest to the GLCT for decades, but only became available for purchase for permanent conservation early this year.

GLCT is a non-profit, all-volunteer organization dedicated to preserving open space and natural resources. Founded in 1965, the trust is one of the oldest in the state and currently owns more than 2,800 acres. GLCT is an independent organization, allowing it to move quickly when land becomes available.

As conserved land, Westwoods is a refuge for many native species including interior forest birds and other woodland species. According to the GLCT website, “Westwoods also provides a natural filter for water flowing through Lost Lake, across Guilford’s shellfish beds, and into the Long Island Sound. Finally, we humans benefit greatly from this forest as well. From hikers and mountain bikers to birders and dog walkers, generations of people in our area have enjoyed the experience of this large and fascinating natural area located just a 1.5 miles from the Guilford Green.”

The “missing piece” parcel can be accessed from the Three Corners Road entrance to the forest and is north of Lost Lake. Additionally, the White Alternate, White Circle, Red Triangle, and Orange Circle Trails all cross the property. Like much of Westwoods originally, this particular parcel of land has been forested for at least the last 100 years. Many of the parcels in Westwoods were used as individual wood lots to heat private homes. Bill Bloss, a GLCT director who helped acquire the parcel, said the trust is thankful to the sellers and all who helped in the acquisition.

“It’s a vitally important parcel for the preservation of Westwoods,” he said. “It’s right in the middle and the land trust has been very patient in preserving Westwoods parcel by parcel over the last 40 years and this is the crowning acquisition really. It finishes our work inside Westwoods. It doesn’t mean that we are finished in Westwoods, it means that they is no risk of development inside the current boundaries.”

While the contract to acquire the land, the GLCT is asking residents to help with the purchase price—$250,000. Westwoods is often referred to as the forest Guilford built because of how residents have stepped up time and again to help purchase land for conservation, according to GLCT President David Grigsby, and this time will be no different.

“The nature of our land trust’s relationship with owners of priority properties is that we maintain a dialogue over what can be extended periods of time,” he said. “We let the owners know that when the time comes, and they are ready to sell their properties, GLCT wants to have the opportunity to present a proposal. In this case, we have been reaching out to the seller for some time and we are thrilled that they have decided to work with us to keep this land as it is.”

The trust has outreach events, including walks through the new parcel, scheduled through early June to introduce residents to the land and help fundraise according to Grigsby.

“One way or the other, GLCT is committed to protecting this land,” he said. “The reality of the limited amount of remaining amount of open space in Guilford means that GLCT needs to be ready, when that call might come, to assure a potential seller that the land can deliver. To be frank, our competition any time can be a well-financed developer with cash in hand.”

To help with donations, GLCT said a Guilford resident has offered a double match (ex: a $100 donation would result in a $300 total donation) up to $200 for first-time donors to GLCT contributing to this particular purchase. If a new donor gives more than $100, there will still be a $200 match. New donors should click on the new donor tab on the webpage to trigger the match.

To learn more about the property, upcoming activities on the parcel, or to donate, visit guilfordlandtrust.org/wordpress.