East Haddam Receives Open Space Grant Money From State

EAST HADDAM, CT — Governor Dannel P. Malloy announced this week that $4.8 million in state grants are being awarded to support the purchase of 1,139 acres of land for 15 projects in 14 Connecticut municipalities that the state will designate to be preserved as open space.

In East Haddam, a $170,000 state grant will be used to purchase the 87-acre Nichols Property. According to a news release, this undeveloped woodlot has frontage on Tater Hill Road and A.P. Gates Road and features several logging/tractor trails that would enhance public access. (To sign up for the Haddams and Killingworth breaking news alerts and more, click here.)

The property is also within the Lyme Forest Important Bird Areas, adjacent to the Eightmile Wild and Scenic Watershed. The grant is sponsored by East Haddam Land Trust.

"Connecticut's tradition of preserving open space has helped define our landscape and preserve its important natural resources and geographical beauty," Malloy said in a release "These grants continue our open space preservation legacy and will increase the availability of open space for our residents across our state."

The state's goal is to preserve about 21 percent of land in the state, which would be more than 673,000 acres. Currently there are more than 500,000 preserved acres.

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