Keeping Paradise Unpaved in the Trenches of Land Preservation
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CONNECTICUT Woodlands CFPA’S LEGISLATIVE for INSIDE AGENDA 2014 KEEPING PARADISE UNPAVED IN THE TRENCHES OF LAND PRESERVATION The Magazine of the Connecticut Forest & Park Association Spring 2014 Volume 79 No. 1 The ConnectiCuT ForesT & Park assoCiaTion, inC. OFFICERS PRESIDENT, ERIC LUKINGBEAL, Granby VICE-PRESIDENT, WILLIAM D. BRECK, Killingworth VICE-PRESIDENT, GEOFFREY MEISSNER, Plantsville VICE-PRESIDENT, DAVID PLATT, Higganum VICE-PRESIDENT, STARR SAYRES, East Haddam TREASURER, JAMES W. DOMBRAUSKAS, New Hartford SECRETARY, ERIC HAMMERLING, West Hartford FORESTER, THOMAS J. DEGNAN, JR., East Haddam DIRECTORS RUSSELL BRENNEMAN, Westport ROBERT BUTTERWORTH, Deep River STARLING W. CHILDS, Norfolk RUTH CUTLER, Ashford THOMAS J. DEGNAN, JR., East Haddam CAROLINE DRISCOLL, New London ASTRID T. HANZALEK, Suffield DAVID LAURETTI, Bloomfield JEFFREY BRADLEY MICHAEL LECOURS, Farmington This pond lies in a state park few know about. See page 10. DAVID K. LEFF, Collinsville MIRANDA LINSKY, Middletown SCOTT LIVINGSTON, Bolton JEFF LOUREIRO, Canton LAUREN L. McGREGOR, Hamden JEFFREY O’DONNELL, Bristol Connecting People to the Land Annual Membership RICHARD WHITEHOUSE, Glastonbury Our mission: The Connecticut Forest & Park Individual $ 35 HONORARY DIRECTORS Association protects forests, parks, walking Family $ 50 GORDON L. ANDERSON, St. Johns, FL trails and open spaces for future generations by HARROL W. BAKER, JR., Bolton connecting people to the land. CFPA directly Supporting $ 100 RICHARD A. BAUERFELD, Redding involves individuals and families, educators, GEORGE M. CAMP, Middletown Benefactor $ 250 ANN M. CUDDY, Ashland, OR community leaders and volunteers to enhance PRUDENCE P. CUTLER, Farmington and defend Connecticut’s rich natural heritage. SAMUEL G. DODD, North Andover, MA CFPA is a private, non-profit organization that Life Membership $ 2500 JOHN E. HIBBARD, Hebron relies on members and supporters to carry out GRACE W. ELLSWORTH, Haddam its mission. JEAN CRUM JONES, Shelton Corporate Membership PHILIP H. JONES, JR., Shelton Our vision: We envision Connecticut as a EDWARD A. RICHARDSON, Glastonbury place of scenic beauty whose cities, suburbs, Club / Non-profit $ 75 L. P. SPERRY, JR., Middlebury and villages are linked by a network of parks, SALLY L. TAYLOR, Mystic Sustaining $ 100 SIDNEY VAN ZANDT, Noank forests, and trails easily accessible for all people to challenge the body and refresh the spirit. We Landmark $ 250 STAFF picture a state where clean water, timber, farm Stewardship $ 500 COMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATE, JENNIFER BENNER, Rockfall fresh foods, and other products of the land make EDUCATION DIRECTOR, LORI PARADIS BRANT, Rockfall a significant contribution to our economic and Leadership $ 1000 FOREST & PROGRAM DIRECTOR, GOODWIN FOREST CENTER, JAMES PARDA, Coventry cultural well-being. TRAIL STEWARDSHIP DIRECTOR, CLARE CAIN, Niantic NEW STAFF MEMBER: VOLUNTEER & EVENTS COORDINATOR, ELIZABETH FOSSETT, Meriden Connecticut Woodlands MEMBERSHIP & MARKETING DIRECTOR, Published quarterly by the MARTY GOSSELIN, Durham EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ERIC HAMMERLING, West Hartford Connecticut Forest & Park Association, DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR, JAMES W. LITTLE, Hebron 16 Meriden Road, LAND CONSERVATION DIRECTOR, Rockfall, CT 06481-2961 LINDSAY MICHEL, North Haven Indexed in the Connecticut Periodical Index, ADVANCEMENT ASSISTANT, KARA MURPHY, Guilford Printed on 60% Recycled, OFFICE MANAGER, TERESA PETERS, Durham ISSN 00106257 FSC and Green-e Certified Paper Telephone: 860-346-TREE EDITOR, CHRISTINE WOODSIDE Fax: 860-347-7463. GRAPHIC DESIGNER, KAREN WARD E-mail address: [email protected] World Wide Web site: ctwoodlands.org 2 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | SPRING 2014 CONNECTICUT Woodlands The Magazine of the Connecticut Forest & Park Association SPRING 2014 Volume 79 No. 1 CONTENTS FEATURES DEPARTMENTS KEEPING PARADISE UNPAVED 4 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE. “Get the land and get it now”: 6 PRESERVATION FOR OLD SAYBROOK’S Remembering William H. Whyte. “THE PRESERVE”? By Eric Lukingbeal. Decades after controversy started, land trust partners begin huge 5 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE. fundraising effort. We need a constitutional amendment to By Gail Braccidiferro MacDonald. protect public lands. By Eric Hammerling. 9 NEW ENERGY BOOSTS 35-YEAR-OLD CONNECTICUT FARMLAND 21 ON THE TRAILS. PRESERVATION PROGRAM. Now you can walk from Long Island Towns and land trusts step up Sound to New Hampshire. as partners. By Clare Cain. By Tom Fagin. 22 TRY THIS HIKE. 10 THE MYSTERY OF FORSTER POND Mattabesett Trail in Giuffrida Park: STATE PARK. Traprock ridges reward your effort with Why doesn’t the public know about a splendid views. beautiful tract in Killingworth? By Diane Friend Edwards. By Christine Woodside. 24 FROM THE LAND. Connecticut’s important place in the 12 OPINION: “DEMOLITION BY NEGLECT.” American seed business. A restoration advocate criticizes state’s By Jean Crum Jones. handling of Forster State Park. By Jeffrey L. Bradley. 28 OBITUARIES. Carolie Evans, and a remembrance by 14 EXPLORING THE OLD Stephen Gephard. CONNECTICUT PATH. Lois Barlow Cox Query. A 400-year-old route in two states. By Jason Newton. 15 CFPA IN THE COMMUNITY. Connecticut Forest and Park’s 2014 Conservation Agenda. On the Cover: Chris Cryder, at right with cap, leads a 2-mile public hike on the privately owned 1,000-acre tract in Old Saybrook called “the Preserve.” After many years, the owners have agreed to sell it for public open space. See page 6. SKIP WEISENBURGER SPRING 2014 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | 3 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE “Get the land and get it now”: Remembering William H. Whyte BY ERIC LUKINGBEAL IT IS NO STRETCH TO SAY THAT THE REPORT LED TO THE ENACTMENT OF P.A. 490, n 1956, one of TO THE CREATION OF A SEPARATE AGENCY DEVOTED TO ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, the most influen- tial books of the TO THE WETLANDS ACT, TO WETLANDS COMMISSIONS AS WELL AS CONSERVATION I 20th century (ac- cording to New York COMMISSIONS, AND TO CONNECTICUT’S STATUTORY PUBLIC TRUST DOCTRINE FOUND Times columnist Da- vid Brooks) was pub- IN THE CONNECTICUT ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ACT. lished. The Organi- zation Man (Simon and Schuster) quickly sold more than 2 million copies. The book State Historical Society. I had not heard of it, ation was built in as a part of the environ- was a classic study of American corporate but acted on the recommendation of former ment, including parks. As he put it, “Walk- life. One quote from the book will suffice CFPA Executive Director John Hibbard and ing could become a habit again.” Were he to convey its theme: “They are the ones of others. Some of them even suggested that still around—he died in 1999—he would the middle class who left home, spiritually we need another Whyte report. The report be happy to see our Rails to Trails in many is eloquent, but the language is often spare. as well as physically, to take the vows of towns, but I suspect he would still see walk- “The people are ready.” And this: “Get the organization life . and it is these values ing as a habit of the few, not the many. He which set the American temper.” land and get it now.” What struck me most foresaw the role of private organizations The author was William H. Whyte, an was how many of Mr. Whyte’s calls for ac- such as the Nature Conservancy in preserv- editor at Fortune magazine. Only six years tion the legislature heeded. It is no stretch ing the Connecticut River. No doubt he later, in 1962, Whyte wrote something far to say that the report led to the enactment of shorter but just as influential, although in P.A. 490, to the creation of a separate agen- would be pleased to see that the kayaker’s a smaller venue, the state of Connecticut. cy devoted to environmental protection, to view from the river (to which I can person- Mr. Whyte’s effort was only 32 pages long, the Wetlands Act, to wetlands commissions ally attest) is not much changed from Co- titled, “Connecticut’s Natural Resources: A as well as conservation commissions, and to lonial times, at least in the lower parts. He Proposal for Action.” It has become known Connecticut’s statutory public trust doctrine believed that “prime land should remain in as the Whyte Report. found in the Connecticut Environmental farming, with only marginal land going into Mr. Whyte wrote it at the request of Jo- Protection Act. development or reverting into forests.” As The other thing that struck me was that seph N. Gill, commissioner of the Depart- we know, the record is mixed, as we have ment of Agriculture and Natural Resources Mr. Whyte’s priorities remain priorities to- lost much of the best farmland, as well as (the predecessor of our Department of En- day. His priorities list included wetlands, the core forests. (The Council on Environ- ergy and Environmental Protection). It isn’t flood plains, pollution abatement, park de- mental Quality’s reports document the latter clear whether Mr. Whyte was even paid for velopment, forest acquisition, ridgelines, his work. Mr. Gill acted at the request of farmland retention, natural areas, and the quite well.) Mr. Whyte was not anti-growth Governor John Dempsey, who wrote him Connecticut River. But some of the things at all. He thought that the Merritt Parkway in early 1962. Mr. Dempsey’s letter began, Mr. Whyte emphasized have proven more was “one of the best investments Connecti- “Our recent review of Federal and State Leg- difficult to achieve. He stressed coordinated cut ever made.” In the final analysis, he was islative action in the conservation field indi- planning among towns, as well as coordina- practical. He recommended that the plan- cates that now is the time for Connecticut tion between towns and the state. With our ning and acquisition of land be done “while to move swiftly to save our dwindling open 169 towns each enjoying home rule, this has the land is decently priced, or, more to the spaces and our great heritage of natural re- rarely happened. point, available at all.” sources for the use and enjoyment of future Mr.