The Land Trust is pleased to announce that the State Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Open Space and Watershed Lands Acquisition grant program has awarded us $462,500 to help with the purchase of 84 acres of woodlands.
The new parcel, known as Lowry Woods, is located just north of the Daniel Hand high school on Warpas Rd. It abuts land owned by the State, the Town of Madison and the Land Trust. The area represents one of the Trust’s most concentrated networks of hiking trails where opportunities for public access and recreation are greatest.
The purchase of this property represents an extremely rare opportunity to protect open space in the Neck River watershed corridor. The river runs along the western side of the property. The conservation of this land is important to the long-term health of the river, the ground water, and ultimately Long Island Sound. The grant from the state will make it possible for the Land Trust to move ahead with purchase of the property and avoid the addition of 25-30 homes if the land were developed.
The Land Trust is especially thrilled the the property has come to us through a decades-long relationship with with Dr. Betty Lowry, long-time board member and past president of the Land Trust.
