PODLASECK-BRYANT CONSERVATION EASEMENT

The Podlaseck-Bryant easement is a scenic 58.2 –acre parcel that has been under the purview of the Warren Land Trust since 2007. This conservation easement on Brick School Road received from Mark Podlaseck and Stephen Bryant complements natural resources important to our town. The easement abuts some 1100 acres of previously protected land, including Wyantenock State Forest, Kent Falls State Park and Weantinoge Heritage Land Trust holdings. Together, these lands comprise an area of "Scenic Vistas and Land of Potential Conservation Interest" singled out in town and state plans dating back to 1989.

The easement is comprised of two habitat groupings: stream and riparian (streamside) forest, and upland hardwood forest. The riparian area is of particular significance as part of the Kent Falls Brook watershed; its 2800LF of brooks contain side channels, pools and chutes that harbor wild brook trout. Turtles and mink are among the fauna inhabiting this area and at least one Cooper's hawk, a State Threatened Species, has been spotted there. The upland hardwood forest is characterized by oak, maple, ash, hickory and tulip poplar, and provides a protected habitat for such woodland animals as deer, squirrels, coyote and cottontail rabbits. This forest also features one of the more scenic parts of the Preserve: a glade containing an exceptional old stand of paper birch and groundstory of lowbush blueberry. Game trails, old woodroads and crumbling stone walls wind through the forest. The Warren Land Trust is pleased to have the opportunity to protect this diverse, attractive and ecologically significant parcel.

PRIVATE PROPERTY - PUBLIC ACCESS NOT ALLOWED