Two New Properties Donated to the Southington Land Trust

The Southington Land Conservation Trust recently received donations of two parcels bringing the total land protected, in perpetuity, to 85 acres. The land trust exists to preserve nature, by keeping land undeveloped. Earlier this year the former Mount Vernon Songbird Sanctuary property was donated by Jayne Neville, a local bird rehabilitator, who was retiring and moving out of state. The property is located on Mount Vernon Road and consists of woods and a field at the base of Southington Mountain.

The property, named the Neville-Harris Sanctuary to honor the donors Jayne Neville, and also Lester and Virginia Harris part of whose bequest to the Land Trust was used to purchase additional land for the sanctuary in 2011. A feature of this site is a large pavilion with an attached chimney which acts as a nesting site for Barn Swallows and Chimney Swifts.

In May a donation from Katherine J. Kalwat, N. Arthur Johnson, and Lawrence S. Johnson, of 30 acres on Spring Street was concluded and will be named the Niles and Linnea Johnson Family Wildlife Sanctuary in honor of their parents. This site is the remaining portion of their farm, part of which was taken during the construction of I-84. The original 1784 farmhouse stood where the westbound entrance on Queen Street is today. The Quinnipiac River borders the eastern edge of the property and also contains remnants of the Farmington Canal. Future plans for the properties will be made after assessing initial management needs.

The Southington Land Conservation Trust is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization dedicated to preserving nature and land in its natural state to benefit wildlife and the environment. More help is needed to maintain the land and improve access for passive recreation and wildlife habitat. We welcome new members and donations of land and financial support.

September 2021