The Guilford Land Conservation Trust (GLCT) started 2019 with an unexpected and generous gift. In January, the GLCT received a $20,000 bequest from the estate of Barbara Jane (Brewer) VanDerMaelen.

VanDerMaelen, a resident of Guilford, was born in 1932 and passed away in September 2017. Her family offered the following statement to explain the thought behind her bequest:

“Barbara VanDerMaelen’s appreciation for the open spaces grew out of the happy summers spent vacationing on Lake Quonnipaug in North Guilford,” the statement read. “As a child in the 1940s, Barbara explored the rolling hills of North Guilford, Bluff Head, and the many acres west of Lake Quonnipaug. Her memories included returning with her brother and sisters after hiking and enjoying campfires near the lake.

“There was always big band music coming from the cottages and a sense of joy knowing that the war was over,” the statement continued. “In the 1970s and 1980s, as the GLCT began permanently protecting land in this area, Barbara made it a goal to hike all of the GLCT trails. She was proud to declare that she had hiked on every trail on every property acquired by Guilford’s land trust.”

The GLCT was not anticipating this bequest, but GLCT President David Grigsby said the organization is very thankful.

“Our land trust is thrilled to receive such a generous bequest from Barbara VanDerMaelen,” he said. “She leaves an important legacy that will help protect the lands in Guilford that she so enjoyed.”

GLCT, founded in 1965, is a non-profit, all-volunteer organization that currently owns and maintains more than 2,800 acres. To learn more about the property and the Guilford Land Conservation Trust, visit guilfordlandtrust.org.