What's new with the HLT:

• HLT Trails Volunteer Day
• Jason Hawley spoke about bears at the first HLT Speaker Series
• HLT award a Connecticut Land Trust Challenge Fund Grant. Details below.
• The 2009 HLT Annual Report is now available.

Past news items:

• The Spring 2009 newsletter is here, as well as the errata and additions file.
• The 2008 HLT Annual Report is available
• The Spring 2008 edition of our newsletter is out
• HLT hosted Robert Thorson, author of “Stone by Stone” as the guest speaker at its Annual Forum on June 2, 2008. 
• The Hartland Natural Resource Inventory may be viewed here. Thirteen maps have been added.
• HLT's 501-c3 status was approved by the IRS in October, 2007!
• Hartland Land Trust Annual Report, June 2007
• Town Mailing, April 2007
• Moose and Hartland Land Trust Share Goal , Incorporation News Release

Trails Volunteer Work Day
by Alana Bordewieck
Saturday September 26, 2009

Hartland Land Trust directors, Fred Jones, Tom Dyer, Alana Bordewieck and two members, Harald Bordewieck and Nancy Dyer joined Dan Bowler, Chair of the Hartland Board of Education, and Bob Fish, Supt. of Schools for another Trails Volunteer Day. They cleared brush on the second leg of the community trail. This portion is not as refined as the first leg.  It is a rugged but enjoyable trail that runs from the school trail near the bridge to Berg Pond on Rengerman Hill Road.  Beautiful old trees, stunning fungi and a lovely brook enhance the hiking trail.  A huge glacial erratic is located just before the descent to the pond road.  Put on your hiking shoes, grab a walking stick and enjoy the serenity and beauty of this trail!

Bears 
by Alana Bordewieck

September 28 around 50 people attended the first of the Hartland Land Trust Speaker Series. Newly elected HLT Director, Jason Hawley, who grew up in Hartland, now a Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) expert on Fur Bearing Mammals spoke on bears.  Jason debunked several myths:

• Bears found in other towns are not brought to Hartland. They are released as close as possible to the incident, usually within ten miles.
• Two tags in the ears do not mean the bear has been in trouble twice. A bear is always given two tags at the first incident or during den research.  The tag color changes every year.  2009 is white.  The letter on the tag is in alphabetical order of the first nine bears tagged.  The number indicates the year e.g. 7 means 2007.  Females are given a tracking collar because they stay near the mother’s den; the males wander off.
• That bears cannot see well is untrue. They have good eyesight but have a keener sense of smell.
• Bears are not as slow as they look.  They can run 25-30 mph but not for very long.
• Approximately 400-500 bears live in Connecticut, but a bear has never killed a person in CT or acted aggressively towards a human being.
  

Bears become a nuisance when they are habituated i.e. accustomed to a food source near a person’s home. Precautions include: removing bird feeders from March to November, keeping pet food and garbage contained (adding ammonia helps deter animals), removing any left over food from grills. Although cubs are cute, they are wild and unpredictable animals.  Never approach a bear or cub.

Future speaker series at 7:30 pm are:

• February 22, 2010 Birds by Scott Heth of Sharon Audubon
• April 26, 2010 Natural Lawns and Gardens by Aimee Petras of the FRWA Farmington River Watershed Association.

Watch for signs for more information or visit www.hartlandlandtrust.org

In July 2009, Hartland Land Trust received a Connecticut Land Trust Challenge Fund-Capacity Building Award.  The goal of the Challenge Fund is to build long-term strength and effectiveness of land conservation organizations in Connecticut and to advance land trust efforts to implement Land Trust Standards and Practices. The Challenge Fund provides technical assistance and consultant-led support services to enhance the capacity of Connecticut land trusts.

The three main areas of capacity building for the Hartland Land Trust consist of:

• Training in techniques and methods for property transactions in accordance with Land Trust Standards and Practices
• Implementing Transaction Guidelines adopted by our Board to be tools and procedures in place to evaluate conservation properties and guide each step of a property transaction
• Using these skills developed for future land conservation projects

Consultation services for Hartland Land Trust are provided by Housatonic Valley Association’s, Tim Abbott, Director of Litchfield Hills Greenprint Collaborative.  Tim’s expertise, knowledge and experience in the conservation field will impart invaluable training to us. We look forward to working with Tim on our project and our ongoing partnership.

This project is funded in part by an award from the Connecticut Land Trust Challenge Fund, administered by the Land Trust Alliance in partnership with the Connecticut Land Conservation Council.  This collaborative effort to increase the pace and quality of land conservation is made possible by the generous support of the Northeast Utilities Foundation, The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, and the Jessie B. Cox Charitable Lead Trust.

The Land Trust Alliance’s mission is to save the places people love by strengthening land conservation across America.  Please contact Katelyn Homeyer, Northeast Program Assistant, for more information; khomeyer@lta.org.

The Connecticut Land Conservation Council works to increase the pace, quality and scale of land conservation in Connecticut while assuring the perpetual, high quality stewardship of conserved lands in the state.  For more information, please contact Sarah Pellegrino, Program Coordinator, at spellegrino@tnc.org.

For additional information on Hartland Land Trust’s Challenge Award, please contact Susan Murray, Project Overseer, at suemur@sbcglobal.net.
 

Wild & Scenic Study Committee Announces a Series of Community Forums - 2009

The Lower Farmington River/Salmon Brook Wild & Scenic Study committee invites you to any one of three Community Open Houses to be held this fall. The Open Houses will offer:

• information on the benefits of a Wild & Scenic designation
• a look at the special natural and cultural resources of the Wild & Scenic Study Area
• the opportunity to have input into the advisory Management Plan for protecting those resources
• a chance to talk with the community volunteers who make up the Study Committee and to ask any questions you may have.

Please join the Study Committee on one of the following dates:

• October 15 at the Canton Community Center, 40 Dyer Avenue
• October 29 at the East Granby Community Center, 9 Center Street
• November 5 at the Farmington Public Library, 6 Monteith Drive

All Open Houses are scheduled from 5:00PM to 8:30PM. Refreshments will be served.

The Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook Wild & Scenic Study brings together town representatives, river organizations, CT DEP, and other river stakeholders, who are gathering evidence and developing support for National Park Service designation of the lower Farmington and Salmon Brook as “Wild & Scenic”.  The “Wild & Scenic” designation recognizes the outstanding resource values of the very best rivers in the United States. Under the New England Partnership model, “Wild & Scenic” status provides funding for river management while leaving river management in the hands of town governments.  Your support of the Study and the designation helps ensure the protection and enhancement of this local treasure for our communities now and for generations to come.

For more information, please contact Sally Rieger at dfrandssr@aol.com or Joyce Kennedy Raymes at joycekennedy@yahoo.com.

Conservation Hero Lecture Series

Sponsored by the Holcomb Farm, Co-Sponsored by McLean Game Refuge, Granby Land Trust and Hartland Land Trust

Tuesday, December 8, 2009 – A Global View of Forest Conservation and the Shape of Heroes to Come – by Bill Bentley, Salmon Brook Associates, North Granby

Monday, January 11, 2010 – A History of Holcomb Farm and the roots of Laura and Tudor Holcomb – by Mark Williams, Historian, Granby

Tuesday, February 9, 2010 – Mary Edwards: Granby’s first lady of conservation – by Put Brown, Granby Probate Judge and former President, Granby land Trust

Tuesday, March 9, 2010 – The Reverend Milne and the Conservation Roots of CFPA – by Adam Moore, Executive Director, Sheriff's Meadow Foundation, Martha’s Vineyard

Saturday, March 27, 2010 – Forces of Nature: a reading play based on the tensions and conflicts between Gifford Pinchot and John Muir (cast and venue to be announced).

The four lectures will be held in the Meeting Room, Holcomb Farm, 367 North Granby Road, North Granby, CT  06060. Lectures begin at 7:00 PM. The venue for the play will be announced later.

Tickets for the series of four lectures and the play are $40; individual tickets are $10 for lectures and $15 for the play. Donors to the McLean Game Refuge and members of Holcomb Farm will receive 10% discounts on tickets. Order tickets – Lucy Lindeyer, LLindeyer@holcombfarm.org or 844-8816 ext. 14.