Weantinoge Awarded Grant to Combat Invasive Barberry

Weantinoge was awarded a $10,000 grant from the Iroquois Pipeline Operating Company to remove Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii) from trail corridors at five preserves.
As invasive plants go, it’s hard to find something more irksome to hikers than Japansese barberry. Originally imported for ornamental purposes, the shrub quickly spread into forests. Deer will not eat it, but birds love the berries and spread the seeds far and wide.
Japanese barberry can form dense thickets that change the chemistry of the soil so that native plants cannot grow. Shielded from predators, mice, and the Lyme-infected ticks that feed on them, thrive in the dense, humid microclimate that the plants create. Ticks carrying Lyme disease are 12 times more common in barberry thickets than natural forest. Barberry thickets are almost impossible to hike through, and their thorns inflict painful scratches. Once established, the plant is difficult to eradicate. Despite the harm caused by barberry, this plant is still sold in Connecticut! This grant will enable Weantinoge to focus on specific trail corridors and remove barberry from 10 feet on either side of the trail.
Fear of ticks keep many people out of the woods and away from outdoor recreation. Research overwhelmingly supports the physical, psychological, and spiritual benefits of spending time in nature. Weantinoge is committed to using the best available science to steward our lands and improve our trails so that people can reap the many benefits of time in nature.
The five preserves targeted by this grant are the Kahn Preserve, James Morrissey Preserve, Mount Tom Preserve, the Tory’s Cave and Hunt Preserves, and the Pratt Glen Preserve.

Pratt Glen Open Again!

Wind damage from the May 2018 macroburst closed Pratt Glen, but the Pratt Glen preserve is open again thanks to the hard work of our volunteers including Ryan Libby of Brookfield! Ryan’s work at Pratt Glen was part of his Eagle Scout project. Ryan and his scout leaders built foot bridges and crossings through muddy areas, cut back barberry from the trail, cut down leaning trees, cleared the trail of debris, and reblazed trails.
His feat is especially impressive because he completed this stewardship work while balancing the demands of his senior year of high school and a job. Ryan also rerouted the trail segment from Ashwood Lane to the stream crossing. An updated trail map is in the works, but hikers can follow the blue blazed trail.
The Pratt Glen Preserve, which shares a border with BOSLI’s Birch Rocks Preserve, has always been a popular trail because of the serene views of Lake Lillinoah.
Ryan graduated from Brookfield High School and will be attending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and plans on joining the Air Force. We wish him the best of luck!

Weantinoge Awarded Grant for Exterior Repairs on the Smyrski Farm

Good news for Smryski Farm’s white barns. Weantinoge has been awarded an $8,000 grant for exterior repairs to these historic structures that are used by Mayapple Hill Farm and Stuart Family Farm, LLC. Mayapple Hill Farm and Stuart Family Farm use the barns to store hay and equipment, and Mayapple Hill Farm raises their Coopworth sheep in the barns as well. Read more.
The Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation worked with the 1772 Foundation to vet projects and awarded grants to 23 organizations. Investing in the barns ensures that they can continue to be used for agriculture and preserves the rural character of Merryall Road.

Summer Internships!

Weantinoge is hiring two paid Stewardship Interns to work 30 hours per week (each), June 3, 2019, thru August 16, 2019. They will be based in Weantinoge’s Kent, CT office and be trained and managed by Weantinoge’s professional staff. Work will take place at Weantinoge preserves and at preserves owned and managed by Bethlehem, Litchfield, and Warren Land Trusts. This is a unique hands-on opportunity to learn about land and public preserve management, trail construction and maintenance, GPS/GIS, and other important stewardship work at different organizations. These internships are funded by a grant from the Connecticut Community Foundation as part of Weantinoge’s partnership program.

Work will be performed outdoors in various weather conditions and on rugged terrain, as well as indoors in an office setting.

Housing is available.

Click here for a full description and application instructions.

New Milford Hiking Resource

Seamus McKeon, pictured here with daughter Molly, is a New Milford resident and a long-time Weantinoge volunteer who has helped us blaze and map trails, under the supervision of his trusty companion Babu, a black lab.
Seamus and his wife Lydia raised their family in Roxbury where they enjoyed the Roxbury Land Trust’s trail system. In 2007, Seamus and Lydia moved to New Milford. For Seamus, when the seemingly simple question, “Where can I walk my dogs?” didn’t have a straightforward answer, it launched a passion project to find and map New Milford’s public trails.
Seamus began mapping Weantinoge preserves and then enlarged his focus area, discovering that New Milford offers over 27 miles of trails for residents to explore! Not content to stick with hiking trails, Seamus expanded his project to include information about which scenic dirt roads are a safe and enjoyable walk or bicycle ride. Seamus explained, “Dirt roads can bring people closer to nature, and are easier to navigate for older people, families with young children in strollers, or anybody who has reduced mobility.” Seamus says two things made his project possible 1) inspiration from John Baker’s book of Kent trails and 2) training by Weantinoge’s Paul Elconin on the iphone-based app MotionXGPS.
Next, Seamus moved from land to water. An avid kayaker, in 2016 Seamus participated in the Housatonic Valley Association’s Source to Sound event and came away energized about the river’s possibilities for New Milford residents. Put-ins for kayaks and canoes can be found along the Housatonic, but information about how long users can leave their car without getting a ticket was harder to find. Seamus has gathered information on where it is safe for paddlers to leave their car.
Thanks to Seamus’ dedication and effort, this information about New Milford’s hiking trails, scenic dirt roads, and boat launches will is available on New Milford’s website, click here, then choose “Boat Launches and Hiking Trails”! Seamus sits on the town of New Milford’s Economic Development Commission and the New Milford Bike and Trails Commission, where he represents the interests of the town’s outdoor enthusiasts. Based on his mapping project, there’s a lot to explore. Weantinoge is happy to be part of this public network of trails.

Safeguarding the Future of Farming in Warren

Since 1965, Weantinoge has conserved more than 2,800 acres of farmland across Northwest Connecticut.

This critical work will continue in 2019, in part, through an innovative partnership between Weantinoge, the Town of Warren, Warren Land Trust, Lake Waramaug Task Force, and the Northwest Hills Council of Governments on a project called Warren’s Farming Future.

Together these partners received a $22,800 grant from the Connecticut Department of Agriculture, which will also leverage an additional $18,885 of in-kind support. The funds will be used to develop a long-term plan to support farm viability, sustainable farming practices, and farmland conservation in the Town of Warren.

Warren’s agricultural history predates the Revolutionary War, and its farming heritage and scenic beauty are beloved by residents and visitors. Warren’s Farming Future will help ensure the Town retains the economic, environmental, and quality-of-life benefits derived from its finite and irreplaceable farmland. Further, sustainable farming practices will help to protect the clean, natural waters of the Town, which is located within the watersheds of Lake Waramaug, as well as the Shepaug and the Housatonic Rivers. Warren’s Farming Future is an opportunity to support the continuation of a farming legacy that is deeply valued by the community and fundamental to its social and economic well-being.

New Farm Conserved: A Farmland Protection Success Story

This summer, with Weantinoge’s help, Bud Wright permanently protected Comanche Hill Farm, 34 acres of prime farmland on Stuart Road East in his town of Bridgewater. The land was protected with a conservation easement with the Connecticut Department of Agriculture’s State Farmland Protection Program (FPP), which pays farmers for the development rights on their farms.

Weantinoge assisted Bud in the conservation process every step of the way, including preparing the application and maps, assisting him with the easement’s configuration on the property, and monitoring the project with the Department of Agriculture until the acquisition was complete.

Since 1965 Weantinoge has permanently protected 29 farms and 3,000 acres of farmland soil in Northwest Connecticut. Through its investment of resources and partnership with the Department of Agriculture, Weantinoge has accelerated farmland protection in Litchfield County by enrolling eight farms, including Bud’s, in the State protection program over the past two years alone.

Comanche Hill Farm is part of a swath of farmland that stretches from Northrup Street to Town Line Road. This farmland is key to Bridgewater’s rural and agricultural character and heritage.

Interested in enrolling your farm property in the FPP program? Contact Paul Elconin, Director of Land Conservation, at paul@weantinoge.org.

Hilltop Forest Protected: Hallock Hills Nature Preserve

In September, two generous landowners donated 128 acres of hilltop forestland in northern New Milford. The property, known as Hallock Hills, is part of the town of New Milford’s early history.  The “Ten Rod Road” which traverses northern New Milford from Browns Forge Road to near Lake Waramaug, runs through the property which was part of the original “North Purchase” tract.  The North Purchase included over 7,500 acres the colonists purchased from the Potatuck tribe in the early 1700s, around the time that New Milford gained township status.  The North Purchase included an area of land between the Housatonic River and Lake Waramaug, a swath about 1.6 miles x 6.5 miles.  And a significant portion of the North Purchase was claimed by both Kent and New Milford, with New Milford eventually prevailing.

This newly created nature preserve adds to over 350 contiguous acres protected by Weantinoge, which run from the western shore of Mud Pond to near the top of Rock Cobble Hill, a landmark visible from as far south as Weantinoge’s Smyrski Farm Preserve in Merryall.

Hallock Hills Preserve and other large blocks of forest, unbroken by roads, are important for public recreation, clean water, and wildlife. Familiar animals like bobcats, coyotes, and owls thrive in these large forested areas, as well as lesser known birds like wood thrush, cerulean warbler, and red-shouldered hawks; and plants such as rattlesnake plantain, pink ladyslippers, and Indian pipe. In the property’s vernal pools, we hope to find Jefferson salamanders, which are on the endangered species list, and other amphibians. Protecting these large forests is vital to safeguarding Northwest Connecticut’s land, air, and water for people and wildlife.

In the remaining months of 2018, Weantinoge is working with another eight landowners to conserve an additional 200 acres of forest and farmland in Litchfield County. Much of this land is adjacent to already protected forests and will expand the natural lands permanently conserved. Stay tuned for more conservation success stories to come!

Bobcats of New Milford

In 2017, Connecticut’s Department of Environment and Energy (DEEP) began a study to determine how the state’s bobcats meet their needs in both rural and suburban environments, and understand the overall health of the population.
From the fall of 2017 to early winter 2018, the Wildlife Division of DEEP live-trapped bobcats across the state. These bobcats were marked with yellow ear tags and 50 were fitted with GPS (global positioning system) collars. Biologists also collected important data from each bobcat, including weight, age, and sex.
Of the 50 bobcats fitted with collars, three were found in New Milford; two females and one male. Over the past few months, the collars have transmitted GPS locations to biologists, creating a map of the home ranges of these bobcats. All three New Milford bobcats were tracked on Weantinoge land.One female’s home range encompasses Bear Hill, the highest point in New Milford and an area protected by Weantinoge and the Town. These home range maps highlight how bobcats are using wildlife corridors and in turn illustrate the importance of conserving land.
All of the collars were programmed to automatically detach on August 1, 2018, and DEEP’s Wildlife Division staff will be working to recover the collars (which will still be transmitting signals). If you happen to find a collar during a walk in the woods, please contact the Wildlife Division at 860-424-3045 or deep.ctwildlife@ct.gov.