Connecticut and the Trust for Public Land have reached an agreement to purchase a 1,000 property in the Connecticut River Valley to be used for preservation.
The property, called The Preserve, is home to eastern ribbon snakes, the eastern prickly pear, and the eastern box turtle, all state-listed species of special concern, which is a category preceding endangered.
The acreage spans Old Saybrook, Essex, and Westbrook. It drains into three watersheds flowing into Long Island Sound.
With the agreement now in place to purchase the property from River Sound Development, the Trust for Public Land and its partners such as the Connecticut Fund for the Environment will launch a year-long campaign to raise the $10 million needed to complete the acquisition and pay for stewardship.
