Three Public Hikes Come Months after Preserve Victory

With the hope of forever protecting the 1,000-acre Preserve from development becoming a step closer to reality, there will be three opportunities for members of the public to take organized hikes at the property thanks to the Trust for Public Land and the Old Saybrook Land Trust.

The Old Saybrook Land Trust will hold a hike on Nov. 30 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. while the Trust for Public Land will hold 90-minute hikes Nov. 16 and Dec. 15 at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. each day. The family-friendly hikes will be led by members of TPL and local land trusts. For those wishing to attend the Nov. 30 date, they can RSVP by e-mailing email@oslt.org. Those wanting to attend the Nov. 16 or Dec. 15 hikes, which will have parking and shuttle service from the M&J bus lot, 130 Ingham Hill Rd., Old Saybrook, can RSVP by e-mailing kate.brown@tpl.org.

The property is not generally open to the public.

According to Shoreline Times, Chris Cryder, from Save the Sound, will be one of the hike leaders and has personal experience with the parcel as he had permission from the Lyon’s in the 1980’s to commute to work by bike through the unpaved portion of Ingham Hill Road which connects Old Saybrook to Essex. After experiencing the beauty of this forest, which has been untouched for 150 years, he has worked hard to advocate for its preservation.

The tours come only a few months after the property’s owner, River Sound Development, LLC, a division of Lehman Brothers, made an agreement with The Trust for Public Land to purchase The Preserve for conservation, recreation, and habitat protection, according to a press release from Connecticut State Representative Philip Miller of the 36th Assembly District which includes Chester, Deep River, Essex, and Haddam.

The Preserve, located in Old Saybrook, Westbrook, and Essex, has 38 vernal pools, 114 acres of wetlands, and more than 3,100 linear feet of watercourses.

"This property is the last of its kind--an intact thousand acre maritime forest, the source waters of three separate watersheds," said Miller, "It is said that water will be to the twenty-first century what oil was to the twentieth. This will help assure a bright future for this region of Connecticut."

Protecting the Preserve will, according to the press release, “ensure that storm water on the site is recharged to local aquifers. An aquifer protection area is located just east of the Preserve and supplies an average of 200,000 gallons per day of drinking water to Old Saybrook and surrounding communities.

The release also stated “The Preserve is located in the area designated by FEMA's Hurricane Sandy Impact Analysis as having experienced "high impact" from the Superstorm Sandy. Coastal forests like The Preserve have been losing ground for some time as saltwater gradually moves inland as a result of rising tides and sea levels. The Preserve acts act as a sponge for stormwater, releasing it slowly into the tributaries and rivers that lead to the Connecticut River and Long Island Sound, protecting downstream property owners from flooding.”

Alicia Betty, the Trust for Public Land’s Connecticut State Director, said in the release that her organization is working to fundraise $10 to $11 million in public and private funds by June 2014 to acquire the property and cover stewardship and other costs.

“We are thrilled to be able to present this opportunity to the state of Connecticut’s land conservation community. We’ve been able to end 15 years of uncertainty and can now move forward toward protecting this valuable property of regional significance,” Betty said.

The release also stated that Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy said, "The work of the Trust for Public Land to secure rights to The Preserve represents a major milestone in our efforts to preserve critical lands in this state.We look forward to partnering with the Trust for Public Land and others to make this purchase a reality and protect this property for the future."

More than 200 homes and an 18-hole golf course were once planned for The Preserve. Conservation groups and residents voiced strong opposition against the proposal and filed lawsuits. While attempts at an agreement to acquire the land for conservation were made in the past, an agreement was never reached.

"This is an immensely positive development, and I commend The Trust for Public Land for their leadership in preserving and protecting this priceless natural resource. As Attorney General, I was proud to fight on behalf of hundreds of Old Saybrook residents and environmental advocates seeking to protect The Preserve from ecologically devastating development. Once lost, forests and habitats such as The Preserve can never be recovered. This is a great day for Old Saybrook, Long Island Sound and Connecticut's environment," said U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, stated in the release.

"Old Saybrook looks forward to working with The Trust for Public Land towards a successful closing on this property, a closing that economically and environmentally favors The Town of Old Saybrook and the region," said Carl Fortuna, Old Saybrook First Selectman, in the release. "This property has been at the center of attention, good and bad, for 20 years. It is now time for a resolution. We are optimistic that enough private and public funds can be raised to purchase the property and preserve the Preserve in its natural state. The Town will work cooperatively with all parties in this effort, including the DEEP. Most importantly, I will work for and listen to Old Saybrook's residents as they decide the future of this parcel."

Entities that have worked together on protecting The Preserve include the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP), the Towns of Old Saybrook, Essex, and Westbrook, the Old Saybrook Land Trust, the Essex Land Trust, The Connecticut Fund for the Environment / Save the Sound, The Alliance for Sound Area Planning, Audubon Connecticut, and The Nature Conservancy.

Suellen McCuin, a resident of Essex, neighbor of the Preserve, and member of the Alliance for Sound Area Planning, stated in the release, "I am so happy to know that this incredible piece of nature will now be forever available for our family, others in the community and future generations to hike, explore and seek solace. It is also great news that so many will continue to benefit from the now protected pristine waters that fill our local public and private wells. We are inextricably linked to this forest. As Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, 'Forests are the lungs of our land.'"

The Preserve is the last large unprotected forest between New York City and Boston.