Norfolk Land Trust and the Northeast Wilderness Trust have recently permanently protected 610 acres of forest land in South Norfolk through a Forever Wild conservation easement.
The land trust, which owns the parcel, conveyed the conservation easement to the Wilderness Trust to add an extra layer of protection for the habitat through a Wildlands Partnership. The partnership provides land trusts with funds for stewardship and other operating costs in exchange for the forever-wild designation.
The tract, located south of Dennis Hill State Park in the Hall Meadow region, is home to rare plant and animal species. Connecticut’s Natural Diversity Database identifies at least 10 species of rare animals and plants, including silver-haired, red, and hoary bats, and sharp-lobed hepatica.
The property also has mature upland forests that range from hardwood-dominated areas to wetter areas with Eastern hemlock and white pine. Within these forests are two key habitats for conservation designated by the state: mixed northern hardwood and central Appalachian oak-pine. The Wilderness Trust’s conservation easement ensures that these forests will not be logged nor the land developed.
Nearly a mile and a half of streams flow through the property, providing headwaters for both the east and west branches of the Naugatuck River. There are 26 acres of wetlands, a forested wetland in the southern portion of the property, and several beaver meadows.
The completion of the South Norfolk Wildlands conservation easement caps a more than 40-year effort to protect a number of forested parcels in Norfolk. The Norfolk Land Trust began acquiring parcels in 2004 and, with the recent purchase of a 235-acre woodland holding in south Norfolk, now owns 610 acres in that region.
The land trust owns tracts and manages conservation easements throughout Norfolk, protecting more than 4,000 acres of open space. Its most recent addition, the 235 acres in South Norfolk, helps maintain a north-south wildlife corridor and enhances the land trust’s extensive trail system, which is open to the public for hiking.