The state purchased a 449-acre tract in Vernon’s watershed for $2.97 million to add to its growing portfolio of preserved open space, authorities say.
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said the Tankerhoosen Wildlife Management Area (WMA) was bought from the Mason family who had owned it for more than a century.
That parcel is upstream from the 282-acre Belding WMA that Max Belding donated to the state in 1981.
At Tankerhoosen, animal species that will now be protected include the eastern box turtle, cerulean warbler, and brook trout. A section of the property that was a former gravel pit will now provide protection for the brown thrasher, field sparrow and prairie warbler. This site will also provide habitat for rare invertebrates.
Connecticut’s open space includes land purchased by the State and land purchased by municipalities and conservation organizations, often with state financial assistance.
These purchases are helping Connecticut meet its open space goal of protecting 21 percent of Connecticut’s land – or 673,210 acres – by 2023. Through state and local open space purchases, Connecticut is now 73 percent (493,452 acres) toward achieving this goal.
