Some conservation stories begin with hundreds of acres. Others begin with something smaller—a field, a stream crossing, a familiar pasture path walked across generations.
For Ellery Sinclair, it began with his home, which he calls Millstream.
Millstream has been part of the Sinclair family since 1934. Nestled in Falls Village (Canaan) this home sits on a nature-rich parcel with open fields, mountain views, cool streams, and a surrounding forest that shaped Ellery’s childhood and remained a constant throughout his life. What he loved most as a boy in the 1950s was the pastoral beauty, the abundant wildlife, and the sense of connection to the land, which still defines the property today.
That continuity did not happen by chance. It happened because each generation chose stewardship.
Ellery’s mother first established the family’s conservation legacy by protecting 84 acres of forestland with a conservation easement with The Nature Conservancy. In 2025, Ellery and his wife, Mary Lu, continued that legacy by donating to Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy (NCLC) a permanent easement on six acres of agricultural land that links pastures of two farmland parcels.
On paper, six acres may seem modest. But on the land, it is a vital connection—one that keeps working fields intact, supports livestock management, and strengthens the future of farming in Falls Village.
“This was about more than one parcel,” Ellery says. “It was about securing the future for agriculture, wildlife, and our family.”
Today, his grandson Kneeland Munson, the fourth generation of the family to care for this land, is raising cattle on the property through his growing enterprise, KM Cattle, and has installed new fencing to manage livestock across the protected pastures. The newly conserved acreage supports continued agricultural use while creating opportunities to lease and utilize neighboring protected farmland and expand the business, which includes producing local food for area schools.
The six-acre easement on the Sinclair family property also played a pivotal conservation role beyond the parcel boundaries. Ellery’s gift helped make possible the conservation of the neighboring property his conservation easement links to—a scenic, highly productive 63-acre working landscape (referred to as Poconnuck) where nearly all the soils are classified as prime farmland. Together, these conserved lands now contribute to a 147-acre protected landscape near Housatonic State Forest, linking farmland, forest, and stream habitat in an important wildlife corridor.
The result is bigger than any one family: permanently protected farmland, stronger habitat for wildlife, and a more resilient agricultural future for the region.
For NCLC, this is what conservation at work looks like. Each easement reflects a deeply personal decision—one rooted in care, family legacy, and a long view of the land’s future. Across 232 conservation easements protecting more than 7,000 acres, NCLC partners with landowners like Ellery for the long term, helping ensure that fields remain in production, forests remain standing, ownership remains a family legacy, and stewardship endures.
In the Sinclair family’s case, one generation began the work, another carried it forward, and a fourth is already shaping what comes next. Their story is a powerful reminder that when land is loved across generations, protecting it becomes more than preservation. It becomes a promise that safeguards the future.
To learn how you can safeguard your land to protect the habitats and wildlife you hold dear, contact NCLC. Our expert staff can help you navigate your options. Email us at info@ctland.org with questions or to learn more.
