Aspetuck Land Trust purchase to preserve 7.8 acre Monroe property

WESTPORT, CT — The Aspetuck Land Trust acquired 7.8 acres of open space at 38 Guinea Road in Monroe this month. The property, which has glacial features, a pond, streams and wetlands, is the first acquisition of town land since the Aspetuck Land Trust (ALT) merged with the Monroe Land Trust last year.

The property was purchased from the Boy Scouts of America’s Connecticut Yankee Council for $20,000.

“Monroe is a natural extension of our mission and programs and this merger enables us to protect more of the open spaces in our region that are so important to us and future generations,”said Bill Kraekel, president of the ALT.

Last year, Barbara Thomas became a Monroe board member of the land trust. She praised ALT for its investment in her town.

“I’m thrilled that a year after the Monroe Land Trust merger, ALT has already shown their commitment to Monroe by purchasing a beautiful property from the Connecticut Yankee Council, BSA,” Thomas said. “This property, combined with surrounding Aquarion and Monroe open space lands, protects about 120 acres of wildlife habitat.”

“The purchase is mostly about the environmental value of preserving the property as open space,” she said. “There is a small pond on the property that had ducks on it when we walked the property last fall. It also looks like there is a wetland area on the property.”

The Aspetuck Land Trust is a local nonprofit land conservation organization founded in 1966 to preserve open space for people and wildlife. ALT has preserved over 2,000 acres of land with 45 nature preserves open to the public. For information, visit www.aspetucklandtrust.org.