Town of East Haddam Open Space
East Haddam Land Trust has assisted the town with several major open-space purchases.
In 2007, the Land Trust was one of many civic, state, and land preservation organizations that contributed to the protection of the Patrell Preserve, an important 42-acre parcel on the Eightmile River that is now part of the larger, contiguous Chapal Farm Preserve.
In March 2011, the Land Trust collaborated with the Town of East Haddam in the purchase of a conservation easement for 280 acres of the Dean property, the Town's purchase of the 135-acre Harris Property, and the Land Trust's purchase of 45 acres of the Bogan property soon to become part of the Moodus River Preserve, including the Bernstein Preserve, the Hidden Valley Farm Preserve, and two parcels without trails: the Dombroski-Meadow Brook Preserve and the Moodus River Preserve.
In 2013, the Land Trust contributed funding toward the Town of East Haddam's purchase of two additional properties, Pages and Zeiller, now The Hatch Lot and Roaring Brook Preserve, respectively. Both protect land abutting Roaring Brook in the Whalebone Creek Watershed, which feeds into the Connecticut River.
East Haddam Land Trust has also contributed funds toward the protection of the Devil's Ridge portion of Devil's Hopyard State Park, the Eightmile River Wildlife Management Area, and Salem Land Trust's Darling Road Preserve.
Find Town of East Haddam trail maps here.
Why do we share these costs?
East Haddam Land Trust partners with the Town of East Haddam and other organizations in land protection projects that preserve specific blocks of acreage of environmental and/or historic importance. In some cases, the Land Trust's contribution simplifies the acquisition process by helping the Town's contribution remain lower. The Land Trust's contribution to the 2013 purchase of the Pages, now The Hatch Lot, property kept the Town of East Haddam's impact below $1 Million, an important threshold for legislative action.
Importantly, however, having multiple land conservation organizations with an ownership interest in a property is one of the very best assurances that the land can stay undeveloped in perpetuity. Our contributions can help to ensure that green corridors remain wild and scenic for a long time.
Properties obtained through the Town of East Haddam's Open Space program are open to the public and maintained and controlled by the Town of East Haddam. Visit the East Haddam Conservation Commission for additional information and trail maps for these properties.