THEN AND NOW
Twenty years ago CCT was only an idea. As reported in the April 1986 CornwallAssociation Newsletter, James Fox and Peter Lane, former owners of the Vizcarrondo's place, challenged their neighbors to form a land trust by donating a conservation easement on four acres adjacent to the North Cornwall Church to the Housatonic Valley Association with the proviso that when a Cornwall land trust was formed, the easement would be transferred to the new entity. Energetic neighbors acted and CCT was formally incorporated and obtained its tax-exempt status the next year.
We are proud that over its short lifetime, your local, all-volunteer land trust has played a direct part in the preservation of 25 properties (totaling almost 1,200 acres) in Cornwall, thanks to the generosity of neighbors and friends who have taken conservation to heart and who have wanted to keep Cornwall "the way it is."
In 2006 CCT acquired three lovely properties: the Ballyhack Preserve on Route 125 was transferred to CCT from the Nature Conservancy; Myron and Adeline Hofer donated 49 acres of forested land next to a state forest parcel on Route 43; and Debby and Bruce Bennett created an agricultural easement on 51 acres of their property adjoining the Hart Farm Preserve.
Our warmest thanks to all donors of land and/ or funds past and present! And for those who are "just thinking about it," step right up with questions on protecting your own property. In addition to acquiring land and development rights, CCT can assist landowners in planning for the future of their properties at no cost. Contact me or Emilie Pryor or any other CCT board member with questions.
Hector Prud'homme
IN THE BEGINNING
The first meeting of the soon-to-be Cornwall Conservation Trust was in Dave Dolinsky's newly renovated kitchen. The group was pulled together by Charlie Osborne of the Cornwall Association to fill what was seen as a void in Cornwall. Most of Connecticut's 169 towns had a land trust devoted to their town's unique and special needs. Cornwall is certainly special and unique, and its land and landscape are a big part of that. For many of us, the idea of forming yet another volunteer group to perform an, as yet, unclear task seemed both daunting and perhaps unnecessary. Between Charlie's patient explanations, an overriding sense of "rightness," and Sandy Dolinsky's cookies, we saw the light and Cornwall's own land trust was born.
This seems relatively simple in retrospect but, in reality, took nearly a year. Generous contributions of professional time from Bob Raives' law office, plus the organizational skills of Dave Dolinsky and Bob Beers, got us from a blank piece of paper to a fully approved IRS 50l (c)(3) charitable trust.
The early going was slow and, at times, perhaps glacial, yet we did acquire our first easement, The Fox and Lane gift next to the North Cornwall Church, after much deliberation and learning how the process works. This was followed by the promise of the Coltsfoot easement once our IRS status was permanent. The pump was now primed and a valuable asset of the community has grown from these humble beginnings.
Ralph Gold
HISTORY OF CCT LAND PROTECTION
1987 -- CCT established
1988 -- Fox/Lane easement (transfer from Housatonic Valley Association ) 4 acres
1992 -- Vogel Preserve gift of 77 acres
1993 -- Coltsfoot Valley easement (transfer from Town of Cornwall) 96 acres
1995 -- Dodd easement 13 acres -- Prud’homme easement 10 acres
1996 -- Nuese easement 200 acres
1997 -- Rogers Preserve purchased 17 acres ** -- Scott easement 13 acres
1998 -- Paul Preserve gift of 10 acres **
1999 -- Bradley Preserve gift of 3 acres -- Clark easement 8 acres
2001 -- Brokaw Preserve gift of 53 acres
2002 -- Walker Preserve gift of 8 acres -- Chubb easement 101 acres -- Cohen-Congress easement 57 acres
2003 -- Dodd Preserve gift of 13 acres (with 1995 easement in place) -- Hare Preserve gift of 10 acres -- Hart Cherry Hill Farm purchase of 96 acres
2004 -- Gloeckner Preserve bequest of 35 acres ** -- Ives Preserve purchase of 4 acres
2005 -- Blake Preserve gift of 25 acres -- Van Valkenburgh Preserve gift of 9 acres **
2006 -- Ballyhack Preserve (transfer from The Nature Conservancy) 55 acres -- Day Preserve (gift from Day Foundation) 181 acres -- Hofer Preserve gift of 49 acres -- Bennett easement 51 acres
2008 -- Welles Preserve bequest of 37 acres -- Prud’homme Preserve gift of 19 acres ** ** for administrative purposes these 5 adjoining parcels have been combined into the Rattlesnake Preserve
TOTALS
18 Owned Properties 701 acres
9 Conservation Easements 540 acres
27 Properties protected by CCT 1,241 acres
4/09