Governor Ned Lamont announced last week the awarding of approximately $3.7 million in state funding to aid in the purchase and protection of more than 1,025 acres of open space in 14 communities throughout Connecticut, including 26.8 acres in Guilford. The Town received more than $174,000 toward the $325,000 purchase price paid last November for an important linking parcel located between the East River Preserve and the Eastwoods property owned by the Guilford Land and Conservation Trust.

The grant was applied for in an effort to acquire the parcel off of the Podunk and Leatherman Roads area, and according to town officials, it will expand and enhance Guilford’s jewel, East River Preserve.

A number of selected projects will receive funding through the Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Grant Program and the Urban Green and Community Gardens Grant Program, which are both administered by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), according to state officials.

In a statement, Lamont said the habitat preservation benefits work on multiple levels.

“These state grants will increase the availability of open space and protect our natural resources, moving us closer to meeting our overall goal of permanently protecting 21% of Connecticut’s land base,” Governor Lamont said. “The Urban Green and Community Gardens grants address needs within urbanized areas of the state, creating more equitable access to outdoor green spaces and promoting fresh, locally grown food. Both programs significantly improve the quality of life for our residents, attract visitors and businesses to the state, and make Connecticut a great place to live and work.”

Guilford Town Environmental Planner and Tree Warden Kevin Magee said though the property was purchased last year from the Balestracci family, the grant will cover more than half of that cost.

“We put in the application for the grant last September, and we closed on the property in November. This will cover more than fifty percent of that purchase,” said Magee. “We were hoping for this. The Land Trust has some success in the past with grants such as this, so the Town gave it a try, and we were hoping it would materialize.”

In a statement issued by the DEEP, Commissioner Katie Dykes said the funding programs are critical for the state’s overall plan of conservation and protection of open space.

“Since the Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Grant Program began in 1998, more than $157 million in state funding has been awarded to municipalities, nonprofit land conservation organizations, and water companies to assist in the purchase of more than 42,000 acres of publicly accessible land.” Dykes said. “Open space preservation is more important now than ever – it is critical in our mitigation efforts to fight against climate change, protects our natural resources and wildlife, maintains healthy air and clean water for our residents, and provides outdoor recreational opportunities throughout our beautiful state.”

Magee said the property has a number of unique features, including wetlands, and will link and enhance three protected parcels, the Eastwoods Preserve, the Nut Plains Preserve, and the East River Preserve.

“This would not have been a good development idea, being that the piece is almost completely surrounded by protected open space. This is definitely an important acquisition for the town,” Magee said. “This is great habitat for certain species of turtles, and there is a nice stream that starts on the northwest side of the property and flows into Land Trust property.”

Magee confirmed that this parcel will be incorporated into the existing 583-acre East River Preserve, and there are plans to build a trail that will link all of the properties together.

“We definitely see this as part of East River Preserve. And the Conservation Commission has evaluated a possible trail that will cut through the property and connect to a Land Trust trail,” said Magee. “The other side of the piece is the Nut Plains Preserve, so this is really exciting for everyone involved. We’ll be updating our mapping to highlight the new trails once it’s formally approved by the Conservation Commission.”

In its grant application, town officials described the acreage as follows:

“This purchase secures an inholding and complements open spaces and trails at the town’s adjacent 583-acre East River Preserve and Guilford Land Conservation Trust’s 95-acre Eastwoods property. The public can access the property and existing extensive, popular trail network from the Leatherman Road cul-de-sac. The New England Trail, which traverses the northwest corner of the property, relies heavily on this preserve for a great distance as it approaches its terminus at Guilford’s shoreline. A new trail bisecting the property is under consideration. The property is forested with 10+/- acres of inland wetlands, including a natural spring. Swamp white oak, a very uncommon tree species, was documented during a vegetation survey by a licensed forester with the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. The property is capable of hosting spotted, wood, and eastern box turtles.”

Spotted turtles have suffered significant population reductions in the last few decades in Connecticut and are protected by the Connecticut Threatened and Endangered Species Act, while eastern box turtles are classified as a species of concern by the CT DEEP. This factor makes the purchase even more critical for preservation, according to Magee.

Magee also said that the Conservation Commission is already at work considering designs for a trail through the parcel that would link the two preserves, creating a substantial accruing of preserved property.