General Appeal

The old Chinese proverb states that “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” And so it is with Avalonia’s land acquisition and preservation program. A journey of a single preserve in 1969 has grown into almost 6000 acres and nearly 100 preserves in 2025. Avalonia is mapping out a brighter future for Southeastern Connecticut. Today, we are proud to be your conservation champion and Southeastern Connecticut’s Regional Land Trust.

It has been a truly momentous and successful year of land acquisitions with the award of six state of Connecticut Open Space Grants and the successful funding of the 673-acre Bond open-space acquisition in Montville and Salem.

We have come this far because of donors like you, and with your support we can continue to preserve permanently and protect ecologically valuable lands and waters. Will you donate today so that we can continue this work tomorrow and long into the future? With your help, we can build a greener and more sustainable future for our region.

One of the many inspiring partners in our recent conservation efforts is the Bond family. During the seven-year campaign to save the Bond Property, Steve Bond led a tour of one of the streams running through his family’s property. There, he introduced Montville’s local Girl Scout Troop to a thriving family of beavers. It was the first time the scouts had seen beavers in the wild. The fate of the beavers was uncertain at that time. Now, with the funds secured to save the Bond Property, those beavers will have a sanctuary for centuries to come. Visiting the beavers can become an annual tradition for Girl Scouts and the wider public.

Steve Bond said the decision to involve Avalonia in creating the 673-acre Bond Preserve was based on his mother Gladys Bond’s desire to conserve the property, and not see it developed.

“This is something she very much wanted,” he said. ‘So we’re trying our darnedest to make it happen.”

Making it happen and trying our darnedest is what Avalonia does every year, with an expanding impact, as we protect open space for wildlife, drinking water, and blaze and maintain trails for all. We promise to keep expanding our map of preserves, expanding our ambitions and including more and more distressed communities in New London County in the joy of the open space movement. Will you support this expansion by making a donation to Avalonia today? Will you join us in protecting Southeastern Connecticut’s wild spaces?

Thanks for continuing to be our partner in this incredible journey of conservation. With your support, we will continue to look forward with confidence and determination toward a greener future for all.

Dennis S. Main
President
Avalonia Land Conservancy