Momentum? We're on a Roll.
If you compare us with other land trusts, Cheshire Land Trust is a pretty small group. What we've been able to get done with this group is pretty amazing though.
We really are on a roll!
In the past month, we've had a CLT angel drop off a donation of gravel for the Brooke Preserve parking lot. That allowed us, with elbow grease from volunteers John Hilzinger, Katie Bateson, Jeff Nelson and Cody Leaman, to finally reopen the parking area for hiking fans and families --- and sooner than we expected!
In April, Scout Chris Blaze and his stellar team put in a new bridge at Fresh Meadows for his Eagle Scout project. The new bridge is sturdy, wide and safe. It is 10x better than the telephone pole that had been in use since forever! Thanks also to CLT's Randy Solomon for overseeing the scout project.
Cheshire Land Trust had our first Audubon bird walk with QVAS' Melissa Baston. Melissa is a gem. She has led our hike for a number of years now. She has such talent. This time we were at Ives Farm Woodlands (it's funny that the "farm" is actually more woodlands than farm :) Among the birds we heard or saw: Baltimore Oriole, blue-head Vireo, blue-winged Warbler and Woodcock.
We were invited to take part in the Cheshire Academy Earth Day event. CLT was there with board member, Pam Roach. There were also reps from Save the Sound, The Nature Conservancy and Quinnipiac River Watershed Association. It was great meeting students who came by to talk about conservation and environmental issues of concern. James Albis, advisor to CTDEEP was the speaker for the event.
Along with all of this, we've had a number of stewardship work days --- Lead steward Nick Motmans and CLT stewards have been working O/T at Fresh Meadows to remove autumn olive and replace with native plants and flowers. Nick has also been working on the finishing touches to CLT's stewardship guide and special projects at various CLT properties.
As busy as we are, and we are a small, all-volunteer group, it's exciting to try something new. We are great at some things like cutting down autumn olive or leading a hike. Fundraising? Not so much. It's hard. It's easier slogging through muck to cut down invasive plants. :) This past month, however, we have dipped our toe in --- and have been pleasantly surprised. We participated in the Give Local Greater Waterbury and Litchfield Hills and The Great Give. We are encouraged by the response.
We found that we have some wonderful volunteers and supporters. We thank you for your gifts of time or monetary donations. Know that your contributions allow us to do some amazing things to further the mission of conservation.
