The land trust continues to protect land in the Quiet Corner, and we’re still pushing to reach our goal of protecting 10,000 acres by 2030.
Most of you are aware that we completed the protection of the iconic 318-acre Hillandale Woods property in Brooklyn and Pomfret. We closed on the property in March, less than a year after we kicked off the fund drive to raise the $635,000 needed to protect the woodlands. The response from you was humbling, and we’re moved to know our work has the support of the community.
We’ve also continued to expand our Bull Hill Preserve. At the end of 2024, Marianne Callahan donated 31 acres in the north west corner. The lot is split by the town line—7 acres in Woodstock and 24 acres in Thompson.
and their five sons.
“My grandfather, Arthur George Morse, was a dairy farmer and lived on two farms in Woodstock, CT, during his life,” explained Marianne Callahan. “He and my grandmother, Mary, had five sons, only one of which remained on the working dairy farm and took over the family business [Lewis].”
“My father always meant to donate the two woodlots eventually. When he passed my sister and I inherited them. When my sister passed in 2021, I intended to donate them right away, but my lawyers made it a lengthy process. Anyway, it is now done, and the family is very pleased.”
Twelve days later, we acquired six lots from the Boliver family at the southern end of our Bull Hill Preserve. The six lots cover 65 acres and form a vital connection between existing protected parcels on the preserve.
We now protect almost 1300 acres on Bull Hill, just eight years after we protected the first 13 parcels, covering 254 acres. The 13 parcels were acquired from Blue Dog Investments, who were actively marketing the property on the open market. Bull Hill has an extensive network of trails and is our most visited preserve. Access has been made easier by the construction of a gravel parking lot on the east side of Bull Hill Road that is accessible from Ravenelle Road in Thompson.In April, a town meeting in Woodstock voted to donate two properties near our Nightingale Forest Preserve to the Wyndham Land Trust. The main donation was a 113-acre parcel that links our Cabbage Hill Preserve with the northern edge of Nightingale Forest along Quarry Road.