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family land
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E. KILLINGLY — The Wyndham Land Trust recently received a donation of 81 acres of forested land in East Killingly from Anna May Scanlon of Smithfield. The property will be known as the Edward R. Laby Preserve in honor of her late son, who hunted on the land.
The land has been in Anna May’s family since her father acquired it in the 1950s from Turnquist Lumber in Foster. Anna May knew she wanted to protect it from development, but she wasn’t sure how.
“The Wyndham Land Trust was the answer to my question,” she said. “I wanted to see it retained in its natural state. I didn’t want to sell it to just anybody, I wanted it to go to somebody who will preserve it. I’m the only one left in the family, and I’m glad to know that my wishes will be carried out.”
“I was greatly impressed by Mrs. Scanlon’s desire to see this large unfragmented forest preserved from the outset,” said land trust board member Steve Adams. “I walked the property this past summer and found it to be a beautiful and peaceful place in the eastern Killingly highlands adjacent to the Kentuck Ledges.
“A donation of this nature and magnitude is a win-win for all parties. The land trust is able to permanently preserve 81 acres of natural habitat, while the donor will receive a very nice tax benefit for years to come as a result of this generous charitable contribution.”
“The new preserve is part of a large forest interior extending east into Rhode Island and south into state forest,” said Land Manager Andy Rzeznikiewicz. “It’s a remote corner of Killingly, and Hermit Thrushes and Black-throated Green Warblers are two of the interesting, breeding forest birds known to inhabit this property.”
“We’re very grateful for the donation from Mrs. Scanlon,” said President Mike St. Lawrence. This year has been incredibly productive for the Wyndham Land Trust. We acquired property in Killingly, Thompson, Woodstock, and Eastford in 2017 and increased the acreage of protected land by over 700 acres— a 25 percent increase. The amount of activity is unprecedented in the 42-year history of the land trust, and we expect it to continue into 2018.”
The Wyndham Land Trust now owns a total of 2951 acres across 10 towns in northeastern Connecticut. The land trust can be reached by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by calling (860) 963 2090.