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Protected
Hammond Brook's headwaters near the Natchaug River watershed are now protected after the Nature Conservancy bought 205 acfres in Ashford. Courtesy photo by Holly Drinkuth.
More of the northeast corner of Connecticut was recently protected from development after the Nature Conservancy recently purchased two properties in Ashford totaling 205 acres. The lands represent the final acquisitions in a multi-year project that has protected more than 1100 acres of wetland and upland habitat in the Natchaug River Basin.
“This is truly an instance of a watershed coming together,” said Lise Hanners, director of The Nature Conservancy in Connecticut. “Working at this scale is the best way to connect and protect the full suite of services our landscapes can provide.”
Coursing through 35,000 acres of largely intact forest, the Mount Hope and Natchaug Rivers have created a labyrinth of unique freshwater and forest habitats teeming with life. Wetlands here support the largest remnant population of breeding American black duck and Cerulean warbler in Connecticut, and provide critical wintering and staging areas for migratory waterfowl.
The protection comes at a critical time for the nation’s birds. According to the 2010 State of the Birds, a report released by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today, climate change threatens the shallow wetlands that waterfowl rely on for breeding habitat. The report also points out that large scale preservation --- such as the 1,100 acres in northeast Connecticut --- can make these natural systems more resilient to the effects of climate change.
And doing so also provides for people. “This area sustains the largest drinking water supply watershed in Connecticut,” explains Holly Drinkuth, director of the Conservancy’s Quinebaug Highlands Program. “Keeping these forests and wetlands in excellent condition makes sense for us as well as for the wildlife that live and travel through here.”