EASTFORD — Warren Bradway recently donated a 20-acre forested parcel in Eastford to the Wyndham Land Trust. The land abuts the land trust’s 22.5-acre MacFarlane preserve on Abington Road and a portion of the 13,000-acre Natchaug State Forest.

Bradway, who grew up in Putnam and retired to Groton, is happy to see the family land protected. “I’m glad that it will stay natural,” he said. “I know the beavers love it. My grandfather acquired it over 100 years ago. He ran the Bradway and Delano store on School Street in Putnam, and owned plots of land all over the area, maybe because his customers couldn’t pay their bills. He passed it on to my father, who passed it on to me. 

“The land trust contacted me because the land abuts the MacFarlane preserve, and I thought ‘why not donate it.’ I’ve had no use for it in my lifetime. Working with the land trust was very easy—I just went to their lawyer’s office and signed a couple of papers.”

“This property is important because it helps preserve part of a large intact forest interior,” said Andy Rzeznikiewicz, the land trust’s land manager.  “Large forest interiors are important for many bird species because they support successful nesting.  Birds like Ovenbirds, Black-throated Green Warblers, Wood Thrush, and Red-Eyed Vireos are a few examples of species that will benefit from this protected land.”

The Wyndham Land Trust Inc. now protects   more than 50 parcels in 10 towns in northeastern Connecticut totaling 2620 acres.