You will find a diverse farming community within our 49-square mile municipality. Our farming community provides access to many products, including fresh eggs, award-winning artisanal cheeses and wine, vegetables and fruits, honey, hops, locally brewed beer, plants of all kinds including Christmas trees, and farm-raised meat and poultry. Local equestrian farms offer riding lessons, boarding, and horse breeding.
You will find a diverse farming community within our 49-square mile municipality. Our farming community provides access to many products, including fresh eggs, award-winning artisanal cheeses and wine, vegetables and fruits, honey, hops, locally brewed beer, plants of all kinds including Christmas trees, and farm-raised meat and poultry. Local equestrian farms offer riding lessons, boarding, and horse breeding.
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PEOPLE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
David Levine,
President
Leslie Curtis,
Vice President
Steve Marcoux,
Treasurer
Sarah Levine,
Secretary
Lisa Hageman,
Board Member
Cindy Praisner,
Board Member
Danny Albert,
Board Member
Cathy Shea,
Board Member
John Barnowski,
Board Member
Andrea Stannard,
Board Member
Scott Sivek,
Board Member
Liza Sivek,
Board Member
Our Mission
The purpose of the Colchester Land Trust is to protect the beauty and natural diversity of our area by preserving significant land and scenic areas for present and future generations. We are dedicated to maintaining Colchester's rural character and stand for clean air and water, wildlife habitat, outdoor recreation, and local agriculture.
History and Progress
The Colchester Land Trust (CLT) was started in 2002 by a group of concerned citizens who came together to discuss the rapid development of the town and options available to landowners for preservation of their lands.
In 2004, CLT achieved federal nonprofit 501(c)3 status, which enabled us to provide potential tax deductions to land donors and supporting members.
In June of 2006, the CLT received its first donation of land from Mr. David Drew - a 4-acre parcel with little conservation value but which, in the long run, proved to be a valuable asset for obtaining loans for more significant parcels.
In January 2007 the CLT entered into an agreement with Mr. Chet Reneson to purchase 18 acres of land (known as the "Gateway to the Airline Trail") for a sum of $190,000. Later that year the CLT received a 62-acre conservation easement on River Road from Mr. Toney Palakewitz.
In 2009, the CLT joined forces with the Town of Colchester by donating $42,000 toward the purchase of an important parcel of land bordering the town-owned 117-acre Ruby Cohen Woodlands. The CLT also received two subdivision set-asides in 2009 - a 25-acre wooded parcel on Usher Swamp Road and a 14-acre wooded parcel on Bulkeley Hill Road. During this time, the CLT began eyeing accreditation by the national Land Trust Alliance. This pursuit began in earnest in 2010, as the CLT crafted formal policies and wrote the standards and practices needed prior to applying.
In 2013, CLT announced it was one of just 13 land trusts in the state of Connecticut and one of 301 in the nation to have achieved accreditation, a rigorous process that provides the public, landowners, donors and members with the confidence that lands entrusted to the Colchester Land Trust are conserved and cared for in perpetuity.
At the tail end of 2015, CLT began work to preserve the Tangletree Farm on Lebanon Road by applying for a US Dept. of Agriculture, Natural Resource Conservation Service, grant to purchase an agricultural conservation easement on the 88-acre property. During this time, in 2016, 115 acres representing the original subdivision for which CLT had been given the 15-acre set-aside on Bulkeley Hill presented itself. In order to repay the loan and continue our work on the Tangletree Farm, CLT launched its 200 Acre Farm and Forest campaign to raise funds for both projects. Enough funds were raised to repay both loans.
CLT received re-accreditation from the Land Trust Alliance in 2019, affirming our
commitment to managing your lands and your money with integrity.
Tangletree Farm and Bulkeley Hill Preserve have become realities: an important easement and a large preserve, respectively. Tangletree Farm graciously hosted two annual fall events and we hope to bring back that highly successful shindig. CLT has established Bulkeley Hill Preserve as a public venue, with signage, blazed trails, and a parking lot. Both properties conserve significant land and water resources in Colchester. We greatly appreciate all that the community did to help CLT achieve these milestones.