THE GREEN LEAF Fall 2024
President’s letter
Looking out my window, it’s a beautiful Fall day in Warren – a happy contrast to a world that can sometimes feel not so happy, in ways beyond our control. Under those circumstances, one of the most satisfying things about the work we do at the Warren Land Trust is that it has a tangible and significant impact right here at home, in ways that benefit Warren and the broader community environmentally, agriculturally, recreationally, and economically.
But what is that we do to have that impact, and how? It’s a good question! Sometimes even our most involved members and strongest supporters need a reminder: we have had so much going on lately that it’s good to step back, zoom out, and look at the what, how, and why of our mission and our activities.
First and foremost, we are a land conservation organization. We preserve land – fields, forests, farmland
- and take care of it forever. But not all land, it’s worth noting. We focus our efforts on land with high onservation values. That means properties that are environmentally important because they are made up of sensitive wildlife habitat, contain important water resources or prime agricultural soils, or are part of a key forest bloc that fosters biodiversity and/or carbon sequestration, with its impact on climate change resilience. We recognize that other land in town is better suited to other uses - housing or commercial development, for example. So we look holistically at Warren to think strategically about our priorities, guided in part by the Town Plan of Conservation and Development. Using this approach, we have protected 1300 acres of land, with 10 trails and a wildlife viewing platform for public enjoyment. Our recreational and educational programming gets you into the great outdoors or engages you in environmental and land conservation issues.
How do we manage all of this as a relatively small, mostly volunteer organization? The Warren Land Trust combines deep community roots with participation in a broader land conservation network. One the one hand, WLT is proudly a local land trust. Warren is where our heart is, and its woods and fields and watercourses are what we care about. At the same time, we benefit from partnership in a larger community of peer land trusts and other environmentally minded organizations. Recent partnerships with the Kent Land Trust, Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy and the Lake Waramaug Task Force are just some examples. We are a capable and respected partner for these organizations, whose complementary expertise we leverage as well. WLT is also lucky to have active and engaged Directors, volunteers, and supporters.
In this newsletter, you’ll get a sense of the scope of our work. If you have questions, or want to learn more, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at info@warrenlandtrust.org. We work to serve and benefit our community, and would love to hear from you!
Sincerely,
Rebecca