Old Saybrook officials and residents to discuss July 8th public referendum on 1,000-acre forest
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 30, 2014
Contact
Sarah Ganong, Connecticut Fund for the Environment: (203) 787-0646 ext. 128
Kate Brown, Trust for Public Land: (203) 777-7367 ext. 5
New Haven, Conn.—Connecticut Fund for the Environment encourages all interested residents of southeastern Connecticut to attend tonight’s Old Saybrook Town Meeting on the permanent protection of The Preserve. The decade-long battle to protect this important coastal forest is likely drawing to a close in the coming weeks, as both Old Saybrook and Essex will be hosting July referenda to approve public financing options for the property.
“The opportunity to permanently protect The Preserve is finally at our fingertips, after years of conservation battles and near misses,” says Kate Brown, project manager at the Trust for Public Land, which has negotiated the conservation sale. “The final Town Meeting will be a great opportunity for residents and interested citizens from around the region to learn more about how we can keep The Preserve undeveloped and publicly-owned for generations to come. We hope to inspire a strong turn-out for the July 8th referendum in Old Saybrook.”
“As the largest unprotected coastal forest between New York and Boston, The Preserve is a treasure unlike any other in the area,” said Chris Cryder, special projects coordinator for CFE. “It has mountain laurel and eastern prickly pear cactus, species of special conservation concern like box turtles and ribbon snakes, vernal pools and wetlands, and the headwaters of several rivers flowing to the Sound. It’s also a stopover point for thousands of migrating birds each year, connecting our state to the wonder of the Atlantic Flyway. Permanent conservation through public ownership and a protective land trust agreement is our best chance to make sure this land remains unspoiled.”
WHO: Old Saybrook First Selectman Carl Fortuna will speak about the appropriation proposal.
Members of the public will be invited to speak.
WHEN: Monday, June 30th at 7:00 p.m.
WHERE: Old Saybrook Middle School Auditorium
60 Sheffield Street
Old Saybrook, CT
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