ANNUAL REVIEW FALL 2016

NEWSLETTER DATE

From left to right: Matthew Starr, David Stygar, Tim Abbott, Kathleen Fuhr, and Nick Moore

walk the Benton Hill Preserve in the fall of 2015.

Jonathan Doster

The fundraising phase of the Benton Hill Preserve purchase is complete! This

beautiful 72 acre preserve between Benton Hill Road and Amenia Road is one

of the first vistas that motorist see as they cross the NYS line into Sharon. It sits

between two large parcels of farmland and is critical habitat to many protected

plant and animal species. Thanks to the generosity of so many donors, we have

reached an important milestone in our goal to complete this acquisition!

We will be developing a stewardship plan, creating public access trails,

maintaining and preserving the property FOREVER.

Jonathan Doster

BENTON HILL FUNDRAISING COMPLETE

A note from the President... Thank you for helping continue our mission of preserving the rural heritage of Sharon.

Our 25% increase in membership is proof of how much we value our “Secret Corner”,

the designation for Northwest CT. If you haven’t already, please join with us by

becoming a member this year.

Your trust & generosity allow us to continue important stewardship of Land Trust

property. Forest Management plans have been done on the Mary Moore and Hamlin

Farm Preserves. These plans help us to identify projects to protect the health of our

preserves and allow us to be eligible for grants for the next 10 years.

We are very excited about the new Mary Moore Trail and hope that you will join us on

a hike soon. Bring your binoculars to enhance the 30 mile vista from the Mary Moore

lookout. Mt Everett, Monument Mountain, and Bear Mountain are just some of the

peaks you might see. The trail head is near the corner of Williams Road and Route 41 ~

park by the farm gate. Just follow the round white markers up around the pasture and

through the woods!

Always my best,

Kathleen

The Land Trust honored major donors at a gathering on September 17th at the home of Linda and

James Quella on Sharon Mountain Road in. Major donors and land monitors were treated to a very

special evening! Linda and James were approached in the late summer to host the party while their

home was still under construction. They bravely agreed and the party was absolutely wonderful.

In addition to sharing their home, the Quellas treated everyone to honey that was harvested on

their sustainable agriculture farm. Chicken, eggs and honey from the farm were used by JP Giffords to

prepare delicious hors d’oeuvres. Visit the QFarm stand on Jackson Hill Road!

Sharon Land Trust PO Box 1027

Sharon, CT 06069 (860) 364-5137

Board of Directors

Kathleen D. Fuhr

President

Melinda M. Sweet

Secretary

David J. Supino

Vice President/Treasurer

Ruth Adams

Mardee Cavallaro

Chris Clow

Jonathan Doster

James D. Krissel

Roger Liddell

Lynden B. Miller

Christopher Roberts

Patricia Rowell

Directors Emeritus

Anne Hepner

Lawrence Power

***

Sarah Paley Coon

Executive Director

Harry White

Conservation Director

2016 Major Donor Party

Volunteers from Camp Sloane invaded the Sharon Land Trust

blueberry patch on Skiff Mountain over the summer. For five

weeks, groups of campers working in the Leadership Training

Program made the journey from Lakeville to Skiff Mountain to

clear vines and weeds around the blueberry bushes.

The campers were led by their counselor, Natasha Griffin, a

long time employee at Camp Sloane. Sharon Land Trust

provided the tools and protective gear for the campers.

Natasha reported that the

kids really enjoyed the

experience and the bonus:

fresh blueberries!

This was a wonderful opportunity to partner with a local

organization. We look forward to working with Camp Sloane

campers and counselors next summer!

Camp Sloane helps out at the Blueberry Patch

PRESERVING LAND AND PROTECTING NATURAL RESOURCES

By Harry White, SLT Conservation Director

One of the missions of the Sharon Land Trust is to create large, connected preserve networks.

Such mosaics not only increase the physical size of sanctuaries but add critical diversity, interior

isolation, structure, and function. We do this by carefully studying the landscape and looking for

natural corridors and features such as

wetlands, stream corridors, summits, and

older forests that support a wide range of

wildlife species including those that need

large un-fragmented spaces to roam and

others that need isolation from human activity.

Then, to put this analysis to work, we look for

opportunities for additional protection around

specific cores through land donations,

conservation easements, or purchases.

Thanks to your support, the trust has assembled or worked in partnerships to create preserve

networks in town. For instance, the 181-acre Mary Moore Preserve, the 260-acre Hamlin Farm,

and the 124-acre Wike Farm West Parcel protect Red Mountain, a key landscape feature that also

harbors the town’s public water supply. Over in White Hollow, the Buckley easements and other

parcels are part of a network that now reaches 600 acres and the Sharon Mountain Preserve

anchors a 550-acre mosaic off of East Street. Other focal areas include Skiff Mountain, Indian

Mountain, and Mudge Pond.

Drone photo of Indian Mountain by Harry White

FOUR GENERATIONS

OF THE WIKE FAMILY

The Sharon Land Trust &

the Connecticut Farm Land

Trust had an informal

celebration at the Wike

Farm to celebrate

conservation. A plaque

was installed on the

property at the bottom of

the old Stone House Road.

Everyone reminisced about

the challenges during the

many years it took to

complete a very

complicated 268 acre

conservation project.

11 ACRES ON LAMBERT ROAD CONSERVED

Barbara Bartram donated 11 aces on Lambert Road to

the Sharon Land Trust. The lot had been owned by her

family for generations. Barbara wanted to make sure

that the land would always stay open and would be a

sanctuary for trees and

wildlife for the future.

Along with the land,

Barbara gave the Land

Trust a binder containing

original deeds, photos and

land records dating back to

1846! We are so grateful

that Ms. Bartram trusted

Sharon land Trust with this

important part of her family

history. A small celebration

was held at the Sharon

Historical Society to honor

Barbara for her donation.

SLT RECEIVES GRANT FOR DATABASE Sharon Land Trust was awarded a $1238 grant from the

Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation to

purchase a database program that is made to meet the

needs of Accredited Land Trusts. The grant was

awarded through the Khurshed Bhumgara Fund.

Khurshed, who passed away in 2014 was the treasurer

for the Sharon Land Trust for many years and

contributed his time and talents to many organizations

in Sharon.

STATE CHAMPION CHINKAPIN OAK SLT removed trees crowding the Chinkapin Oak with

the help of Dave Beers at ConnWood Foresters, Tom

Zetterstrom and Jon Wilbur. The tree is located on the

Mary Moore Preserve Chinkapin Spur Trail.

FOREST MANAGEMENT PLANS have been completed for the Mary Moore Preserve (181 acres) and

the Hamlin Preserve (260 acres). Both plans were written

by ConnWood Foresters through the NRCS EQUP

Program. These comprehensive plans help guide the

stewardship committee and make SLT eligible for grants

to complete stewardship projects.

MONITORS

Being a land monitor is a very important job for Sharon

Land Trust. As an accredited land trust, we have the

responsibility to make sure landowners are respecting

the easements on their property. We are so thankful to

our 20+ dedicated land monitors. We couldn’t do it

without you!

2016 SCHOLARSHIP AWARDED

Clelia Tufts was the recipient of the 1st

Annual Sharon Land Trust Scholarship.

Clelia is pursuing her dream of becoming

a Marine Biologist at Eckert College in St.

Petersburg, Florida. SLT will be awarding

a scholarship in 2017 to a high school

graduate from Sharon that will pursue a

career in environmental studies.

Thank you to SHARON FIRE

DEPARTMENT for their effective response to a fire at the Paley /

Goodbody Preserve on Millerton

Road. A brush fire got out of

control and was spreading

quickly toward Indian Mountain

when but it was contained quickly

by our wonderful volunteer Fire

Department!

State Representative Roberta Willis,

DEEP Commissioner Robert Klee and

Audubon officials celebrated the new

designation of IMPORTANT BIRD

AREAS (IBA’s) in the State of CT. Some Sharon Land Trusts Preserves are IBA’s!

Housatonic Youth Service Bureau (HYSB) has a fantastic

SUMMER INTERN PROGRAM that gives students the opportunity work at non profits in the region during the

summer. This year Sharon Land Trust had a HVRHS

sophomore from Canaan, Emma Adam. “Emma was

wonderful! She helped with administrative projects in the

office and she also joined the Summer Work Project to do

trail work. She grew up on a farm and is very involved in

FFA at Housy so she was a perfect fit for us!”

Thank you to TIM HANSEN for being a wonderful resource for SLT and for keeping our preserves looking

great!

Gabe Lefferts, Barbara Bartram and Chris Clow

looking at land records from Bartram/Juckett family.

BITS AND PIECES

James Buckley

Linda Beech & Thomas Schueller

Tina & John Chandler

Maja & Martin Clark

Carole & Jay Colpitts

Leslie & Jim Craige

Nancy & Richard Davis

Cynthia & David Edelson

Ingrid & David Ellen

Lisa Ford

Debra Cohen & Barry Frank

Gerry Freedman

Lori & Peter Gevalt

Ann Goodbody

Allison & Thaddeus Gray

Kimberly & Jeffrey Greenburg

Stephany & Thomas Haines

Laurie & David Hodgson

Ann & William Holm

Melissa Kaish & James Iorio

Katherine Holden & Joshua Jaffe

Elizabeth & Ian John

Gail & Fred Kahn

Carol & Richard Kalikow

Leigh & Christopher Larmoyeux

Amy & James Leahy

Peggy & Oscar Martinez

Katherine & Frank Martucci

Pamela Wilson & George Mason

Erika & Gary Matt

Priscilla & Alan McCord

Pamela & Gifford Miller

Deborah & David Moore

Leslie & Nicholas Moore

Belinda & Eric Morrow

Martha & Michael Nesbitt

Suzanne & David Oliver

Deborah Donovan & Kenneth Page

Stephanie & Noah Perlman

Leslie & Chris Regan

Mary Robertson

Ellise & Eric Rose

Victoria & Dennis Ross

Michelle & Peter Roth

Suzanne & William Sales

Edith & Kenneth Schechter

Rosellen & Robert Schnurr

Jodi & Michael Smith

Emily Soell

Theodore Spencer

Trish & John Stimpson

Beth Carney & Josh Struzziery

Melinda Sweet

Nancy & Thomas Trowbridge

Stargazer - $5000+ Susan & Donald Brant

Annette & Christopher Clow

Kristina Durr & J. Barclay Collins

Jennifer & Derek Dillon

Carol Flaton & Sandra Buergi

Kathleen D. Fuhr

Carol & Michael Lynch

Hilda Frost & Arnold Neis

Janet & David Offensend

Fran & Clarence Roberts

B.Z. & Michael Schwartz

Cameron Smith

Linda & David J. Supino

Visionary - $2000+ Christina Lang Assael

Mary Bucksbaum

Family Foundation

Silvina Leone & Pablo Cisilino

Mary Ann & Kenneth Clark

Maureen & Patrick Dore

Melissa & John Dorfman

Robert Fish

Susan Reville & William Friedrich

Helen & Peter Haje

Hallingby Family Foundation

Adelaide & William Harris

Jane & Robert Keiter

Jane & Richard Kresch

Raymond Learsy

Fa & Roger Liddell

Lee & Troland Link

Susan & John Lynch

Sarah & Alec Machiels

Merilee & Mehrdad Noorani

Alexandra & Frederick Peters

Sally & Charlton Pettus

Linda & James Quella

Nancy Zannini & Chris Roberts

Patricia Rowell & Ron Becker

Dennis Marguiles

& Wesley Sparks

Steward - $1000+ Carole Bailey

Spencer Barksdale

Patricia & Thomas Barry

Karyn & Charles Bendit

Frances & Rhett Brandon

Kaija & Peter Braus

Jane Strong & John Brett

Estrillita & Daniel Brodsky

Jean Vitalis

Kathy & Bill Weigel

Ben Loehnen & Peter Wertheim

Barbara & Michael Zimmerman

Conservationist - $500+ Janet & Sal Accardo

Ruth Adams

Eliza Klose & Harding Bancroft

Joy Behr

Lucy Commoner & Richard Berry

Elizabeth & Stephen Bierman

Joan & David Bright

Carlin Vickery & James Capalino

Rita Dolan

Margaret Douglas-Hamilton

Lorna & Daniel Edmundson

Jeffrey Fillman

Françoise & Jonathan Friedlaender

Dotty & Lionel Goldfrank

Mimi Grotto

David Harris

Peggy & Richard Hayes

Margery & Donald Hetzel

David & Ania Hubbard

Thomas Hubbard

Keith Johnson

Graham Klemm & Matt Lynn

Jessica Fowler & James Krissel

Barbara & William Lewis

Laurie Lisle

Monique & Ian Lowitt

Susan Hassler & Robert Maxwell

Roberta & Walter McNeill

Hans-Joerg Meili

Kathleen & James Metz

Elliot Miller

Lynden & Leigh Miller

Gigi Noyes

Anne & Henry Putzel

Deborah & Robert Rathbun

Nora Jordan & Allen Reiser

Lucinda & Brian Ross

Jennifer & David Sims

Benjamin Stapleton III

Elizabeth & Lee Stewart

Mary & Alex Taylor

Toinette Tucker

Walter P. Turkiwicz Fund

Arete Warren

Kay & Tim Yates

Michael Zients & Derek Larson

Preservationist -$250+ Ellen Burcroff & Robert Anderson

Kate & Rick Beatty

Robert Behrends

Kate Ganz & Daniel Belin

Shereen & Steven Berger

Annette Cloney

Camilla Cloney

Kenneth Cohen

& Christopher Conway

Frederick Deknatel

Elyse Harney

Harvey Hayden

Nancy Hengen & Henry Monahan

Anne & Charlie Hepner

Jane Kaczmarek

Lyn & Robert Mattoon

Marnie & Fritz Mueller

Dawn & Joseph Palmer

Jane Poehler

Kate Stiassni

Claire & John Van Der Tuin

Deborah Van Eck

Robin Zitter & Michael Nadeau

Trail Blazer - $100+ Anonymous (3)

Judy & Norman Arons

Judy & John Barber

Andrew Blitzer

Kate Farrell & Robert H. Blumberg

John Bolus

Teresa & Norman Buchan

Joan & Larry Budish

Angela & Michael Carabine

Mardee Cavallero

Carmela & Giulio Cavallo

Sarah & Christopher Coon

Jane Curtin & Patrick Lynch

Margaret DeMarrais

& Charles Paley

Donna & Jim DiMartino

Jane & Harris Dienstfrey

Thomas Patrick Dore III

Derek Drew

Christopher Evans

Dorothy Felske

Mary Halle & Peter Felske

Stephen Furnstahl

Gail & Arthur Goldweber

Leslie & Richard Gottlieb

Martha & Patrick Goupit

Carol Gourley

SHARON LAND TRUST MEMBERSHIP

October 1, 2015 - September 30, 2016

We apologize in advance if we have made an error with your listing. Please contact our office so we can make corrections.

Harold Gurnee

Gwendolyn Hansen

Kym Zwick & Kevin Hill

Douglas Hobby

Kim & Ralph Hohlfeld

Pamela Moulton & Bruce James

Kristin Johnson

Debby & Barton Jones

Katherine & Frederick Joseph

Howard Kaminsky

Jean & Michael Kashgarian

Maura & Michael Kelly

Barbara & Mortimer Klaus

Sok Nam & Harold Kuplesky

Steven Lefkowitz

Peter Lombardo

Richard Mack

Elizabeth & Arthur Mirante

Betty & Dan Newcomb

Janet & Robert Nickson

Sue Norris

Carol & William Oliver

Mary & Philip Oppenheimer

Emma Paley

Nicholas Pentecost & John Jolly

Judith Poehler

Gabrielle & Leonard Pouder

Jason Jobson

& Christophe Pourny

Tracy & Michael Rand

Zach Rocklin

Geraldine & Christopher Rubin

Alexia & Stephen Sachman

Emily & Billy Saster

Carol & Joseph Seaman

Sharon Garden Club

Judith Smith

Margueritte & Lawrence Smith

Jane Cook & Peter Steiner

Marianne & Joseph Stineman

Susan & Harlan Stone

Peg & Paul Sweeney

Margaret & Stephen Szalewicz

Missy & Bud Talbot

Michael Trapp

Sue & Steve Van Tongeren

Wanda & Bob Moeller

John M. Morris

John O’Connell, Jr.

Eleanor Owens

Shirley & John Perotti

Lizbeth & Anthony Piel

Everett Pitcher

Carol Ascher & Robert Pittenger

Amy Schuchat & Barclay Prindle

Janet & Warren Prindle

Carol & Laurence Rand

Brooke & Richard Rapaport

Marel Rogers

Mary Elizabeth Rogers

Donald Russell

Sylvie & Alexander Sankowski

Margaret & John Sciepura

Michael Sciepura

Kathleen & Campbell Scott

Sharon Farm Market

Stephen Sechrist & James Silvia

Randall Slack

Patsy & Jonathan Stroble

Rebecca & Scott Thornton

Barbara & Richard Thorsen

Kiyoko & Alan Tucker

Leigh & Jonathan Tunick

Susan Leslie & William Vavroch

William Whelan

Ian & Greg Witzman

Lindley & Allen Young

Irene Zabransky

In Honor of Larry Power

Helen & Richard Hayes

In Memory of Douglas

Joan & David Jardine

In Memory of Ralph Loper

Joan & Chaffee Loper

In Memory of Elizabeth Pitcher

Everett Pitcher

In Memory of Susan Russell

Donald Russell

In Memory of Rudy Zabransky

Irene Zabransky

In Memory of George Paley

Emma Paley

In Memory of Myrtle Hayden

Harvey Hayden

In Memory of Lynda Brynes

Kristin Johnson

Tiggie & Jay Gerli

Sarah Getz & James LaPorta

Rachel Moore

& William Godsman

Marilyn & Gerald Godsoe

Jo Wright & Richard Gottlieb

Carol & Andrew Greenberg

Michael Griffin

Philip Grindrod

Louise Gross

Johanna & Bruce Haan

Elizabeth Hall

Carole Hart & Diane Tufaro

Egnaro Rewolf

Caroline Herrick & Ted Sands

Marilyn & Robert Hock

Margaret Hohlfeld

Siegrun & Rolf Hohlfeld

Shelley Hotchkiss

Darin Hudson

Linda & Frank Hufner

Helen Wike Humeston

Dee Anne & Don Hunstein

Cammiel & Jim Hussey

Susan Irwin

Cathy Jacobs

Joan & David Jardine

Claudia Carson & Thomas

Jeziorny

Sally Kaplan

Mark Keim

William Kelsey

John Keneally

Kelly & Greg Kilmer

Larry S. King

Coleen & Richard Kopec

Denise & David Kurish

Marjorie Leake

Joan & James Levine

Joan & Chaffee Loper

Susan Sigda & Alex Lotocki

Patricia Lynehan

Kasia Maimone

& John Mcenerney

Joel & Terry Meisel

Deedy & Ken Mishler

Danielle Jennings

& Bo G Wallen

Debra & Ron Wechsler

Holly Kempner & Warren White

John Whitsell

Robert Wilbur

Julia Wrigley

Marilyn & Todd Yerks

Raymond P. Zelazny

Member - $25+ Anonymous (5)

Evelyn & Steven Alden

Janet & Frank Amendola

William Arnold

Janet & Chris Arterton

Aita & Norman Askinazi

Sarah Morgan &Paul Bacsik

Barbara Bartram

Mitchell Baruchin

Lisa & Tim Bazemore

Donna & Peter Begley

Richard Bell

Michelle Booth

Louise & Malcolm Brown

John Buquicchio

Helen & Robert Carberry

Karolene & Clay Carlson

Whitney & Timothy Carr

Suzanne Smith

& Donn Castonguay

Daniel Chiles

Chipurnoi, Inc.

Lynn H. Cline

Constance Cohrt

&Amy Reichman

William J. Cord

Barbara Thibido & Jerome Cramp

Liane Montesa & Herb Dershowitz

Janis & John Downey

Ann Doyle & Michael Schmitt

Laurie & Dary Dunham

Fern & Stewart Fisher

Sherry & Bruce Frankel

Jacob & Katherine Fricker

John Frost

SHARON LAND TRUST MEMBERSHIP

October 1, 2015 - September 30, 2016 Membership, continued…

We apologize in advance if we have made an error with your listing. Please contact our office so we can make corrections.

A view of the new Twin Oaks

After a very successful start in 2015 and with a

grant from the Millbrook Garden Club, Sharon

Land Trust decided to repeat the Student Work

Program at the Mary Moore Preserve. During

the summer of 2016, four students worked in the

program for two weeks under the leadership of

David Emond. They were joined by college

student Elise Hahn, who came to the program

with a background in environmental science

and leadership experience from her work at St.

Lawrence University. Two other students also

helped when their schedules allowed.

The grant from the Millbrook Garden Club

improved the program tremendously.

Community support is so important to Sharon

Land Trust. The Millbrook Garden Club

sponsored two students to work for the

two-week session.

The students opened the trail at the Mary

Moore Preserve, cleared the Chinkapin Spur

(a short trail to the Chinkapin Oak) and then

focused their energy on invasive species

removal along the edges of the trail.

MILLBROOK GARDEN CLUB GRANT SUPPORTS

STUDENT WORK PROJECT

SLT COMMUNITY PARTNER IN UCONN NRCA PROJECT Housatonic junior, Lauren Murtagh, spent a week at the University of

Connecticut NRCA (Natural Resource Conservation Academy). NRCA is a

unique opportunity for high school students

to learn about natural resources science

and conservation biology from UConn

professors, graduate students, and each other.

Lauren is working on a seven-month project

focusing on invasive species. She was a former

student work project participant and asked

the Sharon Land Trust to be her community

partner for her project. Lauren designed

and launched an online survey and she has

presented her findings at two workshops in

Sharon, one at the Talbot Preserve on West

Woods Road and one at the Sharon

Audubon.

We are so happy to be able to support Lauren as

she pursues her interest in environmental

studies!

Garden Club members visit the Mary Moore Preserve to see the

trail and see the Student Work Project in action.

Orientation with Tom Zetterstrom and Christian Allyn

Lauren working at the Mary Moore

Preserve in 2015.

Lauren explaining how to identify a

Norwegian Maple tree at Talbot Preserve

Sarah Coon and Lauren Murtagh present at

the Millbrook Garden Club October Meeting

GOODBYE EAST STREET BARN

SLT HIKES!

This barn on the Calinoff Preserve on East Street was removed

earlier this fall. Unfortunately, the barn was a beyond repair

and a safety hazard. Some of the siding, beams and foundation

were re-purposed!

Be sure to visit our website www.sharonlandtrust.org

to keep up with our latest news!

VISIT OUR WEBSITE!

Breathtaking views from the Mary Moore Preserve Jonathan Doster Photography

Sharon Land Trust hosted six hikes

during the summer and fall at the

Mary Moore Preserve. Hikers

got to see the State Champion

Chinkapin Oak and they enjoyed the

views from the mountain top.

Hikers were also treated to a

lesson in invasive species removal

from board member and neighbor,

Roger Liddell. Over the coming months we plan to host more hikes.

Check out our sharonlandtrust.org and our Facebook

page for more information.