In conservation, impact is not always measured in acres. Often, the greatest value lies in protecting the right land in the right place. With that in mind, we are pleased to announce the permanent protection of 2.1 acres strategically located in East Hampton near Wilkes Road.
Though modest in size, this parcel plays an outsized role in the landscape. It sits directly adjacent to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Pine Brook Falls unit of the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge and abuts land we already protect, expanding a growing block of permanently conserved open space. By conserving this property, we strengthen habitat connectivity and add lasting protection to core forest within the Salmon River watershed.
The land includes forested wetlands, a section of Pine Brook—a tributary of the Salmon River—and mixed hardwood forest. These habitats support sensitive species including wood turtle, eastern box turtle, tri-colored bat, and the state-listed tidewater mucket, a freshwater mussel. Conserving this land protects riparian habitat, improves water quality, enhances flood storage capacity, and ensures that this important wildlife corridor remains intact.
Projects like this demonstrate how even small parcels can deliver meaningful conservation impact when they connect and reinforce the lands around them.
This project was supported with funding from the Connecticut Land Conservation Council’s Transaction Assistance Grant (TAG) Program.
