KENT, Conn.—The Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy, which has offices in Kent, and the town of Sherman have partnered to expand public recreation in nature. The town voted to contribute $50,000 from its Land Acquisition Fund to support NCLC’s purchase of the 117-acre Glen Brook property on Route 39 North.
In November, the NCLC requested a $50,000 contribution from Sherman’s Land Acquisition Fund to support the $1,485,000 purchase.
The contribution represents 3 percent. The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) also awarded $965,250 for the project. Sherman’s Board of Selectmen, Land Acquisition Fund Advisory Board and Conservation Commission unanimously endorsed the proposal.
The Glen Brook property will add two miles of new trails, bringing the total to five miles, and improving parking facilities. The expansion will offer new opportunities for hiking, birdwatching, cross-country skiing and other outdoor activities.
The Glen Brook property serves as an important ecological resource, providing habitat for rare and endangered species, including butterflies and forest bird species, while increasingl climate resilience through flood mitigation and water filtration.
This conservation acquisition will expand NCLC’s adjacent 142-acre Strauss Morrissey Preserve and provide new recreational opportunities to the residents of Sherman and beyond.
NCLC is currently working to open four new public nature preserves in the towns of Brookfield, Litchfield, Torrington, Sherman and Sharon, and investing in the infrastructure (parking, bridges, and trails, including ADA-trails) to share the benefits of nature broadly.
The new nature preserves are expected to be open to the public by 2027.
NCLC, the largest land trust in Connecticut, has conserved over 13,300 acres, including 1,600 acres in Sherman.
