Each #LoveYourCTLandTrust story embodies the passion and commitment of these community organizations to safeguarding our natural and working landscapes. Land trusts preserve critical habitats, protect biodiversity, and engage people of all ages. They offer access to recreation and local food while championing sustainability amidst a changing climate.

Your unwavering support has been pivotal to CLCC's ability to ensure land trusts have the resources, assistance, and advocacy they need to achieve their remarkable success this year, and always. Thank you.

P.S. All #LoveYourCTLandTrust stories are featured on our website here. We are already queuing up stories for 2024. Do you have one to share? Submit it here, and we'll take it from there.

Communities came together to celebrate the formation of the Traprock Ridge Land Conservancy (TRLC) at an event held at the Wintonbury Hills Golf Course on October 1. TRLC resulted from a successful merger between the West Hartford, Wintonbury, and East Granby land trusts in April of this year. The merger was facilitated by Danosky & Associates, with support from the Connecticut Land Conservation Council and funding from The Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck Foundation. Under this merger, 637 acres of land are protected...

Granby Land Trust (GLT) shared the land trust's new Virtual Property Trail Tours during its annual meeting. This video series encourages people to visit the trails by allowing them to explore select properties remotely. So far, GLT has tours available for the Katan-Ensor/Old Messenger Road Preserves, the Mary Edwards Mountain Property, and the Dismal Brook Wildlife Preserve. Their videos are available on their website's front page and YouTube Channel…

"On your mark, get set...search!" East Haddam Land Trust (EHLT) held its second annual bell search this autumn. One hundred bells, each stamped with the year and an image of the East Haddam Swing Bridge, were hidden along or within arm's reach of trails across thirteen EHLT preserves. (One of those preserves was a CLCC TAG recipient last Fall!) Finders get to keep their bells, with photos of each treasure posted on the EHLT social media channels...

Middlesex Land Trust (MLT) has purchased 147 acres for permanent protection, which will become the Meshomasic Rattlesnake Brook Preserve. It is named for its proximity to MLT’s existing Rattlesnake Brook Preserve and the Meshomasic State Forest. This project received $9,800 from the CLCC TAG program during the 2022 Fall Round and a $364,000 grant through CT DEEP’s OSWA program. The conservation of this land will contribute to habitat and biodiversity protection, improved water quality, and climate stabilization. Once the property is prepared for public access, it will also allow residents to go hiking, birdwatching, or picnicking...

In September, Bethel Land Trust (BLT) acquired a 3-acre property at 7T Sunset Hill Road, increasing the total amount of protected property in the area to 100 acres. This acquisition will make it easier for residents to access the preserve’s trails. The increase to 100 acres will also allow scientists to study the land and develop protection plans for the area...

- Connecticut Land Conservation Council

New Canaan Land Trust (NCLT) has shared an editorial explaining why land trusts are vital to land conservation in Connecticut and beyond. The piece reviews what a land trust is, the history of its land trust, the role of land trusts in Connecticut and the United States, and the need for our state to reach its conservation goals. It’s a short read that provides excellent insight into why land trusts are essential locally and globally...

Wilcox Family Homestead with Holcomb Farm Fields courtesy of Granby Land Trust