Community Corner

Tuesday Was A Great Day For Emily, Her Favorite Frogs, And Anyone Else Who Drinks Water In Southern Connecticut (With Video)

Madison Land Conservation Trust, The Trust For Public Land, And More Than 100 Donors Band Together To Preserve 77-Acre Tract Off Of Summer Hill Road; $275,000 More Needed To Satisfy Bridge Loan

When seven-year-old Emily Alletzhauser got off the bus Tuesday, she got some great news. Her favorite place to hunt for frogs will forever be a place where she, her family, her neighbors, and anyone, for that matter, can go for a walk, enjoy nature, and learn about history in North Madison.

 The Trust for Public Land and the Madison Land Conservation Trust signed papers earlier that day to acquire the 77-acre Summer Hill tract in Emily’s neighborhood. They were able to do this with the help of more than 100 donors and volunteers, many from the neighborhood, who wanted to save the land.  The property went on the market several years ago and was eyed by several developers, including one who was considering building condominiums.

The property is an important watershed that will now form the southern buffer of a greenbelt that includes thousands of acres extending from North Madison into Killingworth and Haddam. This greenbelt will not only serve as a home for Emily’s favorite frogs, it also will help preserve the quality of the water of the Hammonasset Reservoir, which provides Emily and the rest of this part of the state with drinking water.

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Taking matters into their own hands

Emily’s family is one of many in town that took matters in their own hands many years ago when it looked like the 77-acre tract formerly owned by the Bauermeister family might turn into a condominium development. A local resident contacted The Trust For Public Land, which helps facilitate transactions of this sort. Then TPL started working with the Madison Land Conservation Trust and other local volunteers to put together a deal.

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 One of the first steps was to get the Bauermeister heirs to agreed to carve out a parcel that excluded the historic but dilapidated Jonathan Bishop house, circa 1730, which stands on the property. That house is now being sold separately on a parcel of about six acres.

After working on the deal and fundraising over the course of several years, TPL, the Madison Land Conservation Trust, more than 100 individual donors were able to declare success on Tuesday, when the papers were signed and the property forever became another jewel in the Madison Land Conservation Trust collection.

"Storybook flavor of the area"

Diana Insolio, president of the Madison Land Conservation Trust said that  “anyone who has driven on Summer Hill Road north of Route 80 knows the almost storybook flavor of the area.”

“MLCT is proud to have the opportunity to save that rural character by taking ownership of, and responsibility for, the 77-acre parcel that serves as a gateway to the extended beauty of Summer Hill Road. We thank all those generous and forward-looking donors who supported us in saving this land for future generations, " Insolio said in a prepared statement. Other protected lands nearby include South Central Regional Water Authority land, state conservation areas, and lands protected by the Madison Land Conservation Trust (MLCT).

Alicia Betty, Project Manager and Director of Philanthropy for TPL in Connecticut, and a Madison resident said she was happy that the legacy of Summer Hill as a natural area will endure forever.

Gratitude expressed towards more than 100 individual donors and key foundations

"We are especially grateful to over 100 individual donors and several key foundations who stepped forward to ensure Summer Hill would be protected. The partnership between the Madison Land Conservation Trust, TPL and a hard-working volunteer campaign committee has made this project a success. This was only possible through the participation of many people to achieve a common conservation vision. Thank you to all who helped," Betty said.

The purchase price of the land was $1,450,000. In addition to private funds raised for the purchase, TPL and MLCT received a Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Grant Program grant of $500,000. In order to complete the purchase on deadline, the MLCT obtained bridge funding and will continue fundraising to repay the $275,000 loan by early 2012.

"The Trust for Public Land and the Madison Land Conservation Trust are to be commended for their unparalleled vision and commitment to preserving Summer Hill," said state Sen. Ed Meyer (D-12th District) in a prepared statement. Meyer, who represents several area towns, including Madison and Guilford, is Senate Chairman of the legislature's Environment Committee. "Non-profit groups are working hand-in-hand with the legislature to secure open space grants for properties such as this, and piece by piece we are saving some of Connecticut's most scenic vistas.  I'm proud to have successfully advocated for such a grant on behalf of the Bauermeister property and Summer Hill."

The Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national nonprofit organization, which works with partners and communities to conserve land for people to enjoy as working landscapes, parks, gardens, and natural areas, ensuring livable communities for generations to come. Since 1972, TPL has conserved nearly 3 million acres nationwide and more than 6,000 acres of open spaces, watershed lands, working farms and forests, and historic resources across Connecticut. Visit TPL online: tpl.org/Connecticut.

Founded in 1964, the Madison Land Conservation Trust (MLCT) was one of the first Land Trusts, both in Connecticut and the nation. MLCT engages in and otherwise promotes for the benefit of the general public, the preservation of natural resources of the Town of Madison, including water resources, marshland, swamp, woodland and open spaces, and the plant and animal life therein and the preservation of unique historic and scenic sites. Visit www.madisonlandtrust.org.


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