Help Avalonia Reach Our Goal for the TriTown Forest Preserve!
In 2018, the Avalonia Land Conservancy saved over 500 acres in North Stonington, Preston, and Griswold, thus creating the TriTown Forest Preserve. This preserve protects critical habitat for wildlife and important watersheds, while also providing trails and opportunities for outdoor exploration.
The TriTown Forest Preserve is the largest fee acquisition in Avalonia’s 42year history. It borders on an additional 76 acres of Avalonia-owned property and abuts over 800 conservation easements held by the Nature Conservancy. Across the street from the TriTown Forest Preserve is a 213 acre section of the Pachaug Forest owned by DEEP. Combined, these properties create a 1500 acre block of protected forest and provide habitat for threatened species, such as the cerulean warbler. A recent study by the CT Botanical Society found that the TriTown Forest Preserve supports over 300 species of plants, including 11 rare species.
When you visit the TriTown Forest Preserve, you will see the efforts of our wonderful volunteers. They have spent countless hours removing invasive plants, planting native trees, and creating well-marked trails. The preserve has over nine miles of trails, ranging in difficulty from easy to challenging. In fact, our 5.5 mile Blue Trail is highly recommended by elite athletes from across New England, such as North Stonington’s own Carly Eisley. “It’s a great place to train” stated Eisley. “The blue loop has interesting terrain and a surprising amount of climbing – keeps things challenging and fun!”!
To save the TriTown Forest Preserve, we partnered with The Conservation Fund, which gave us a loan of $877,000 in 2018 to acquire the property. We have raised over $775,000 so far to pay off the loan – the remaining balance of approximately $100,000 is due on March 20, 2021. We must meet this deadline!
If you love the TriTown Forest Preserve, please make a donation to support this amazing property and help us meet our fundraising goal. Your donation will help us finish paying for the TriTown Forest Preserve and will enable us to continue our work to preserve and protect more natural resources and open space in southeastern Connecticut.