The move will likely mean more hiking opportunities in Northwest Connecticut.
A conservation group has announced it has secured the funding needed to protect more than 5,000 acres in northwest Connecticut, a move that will protect the state’s largest untapped drinking water reservoir and open the land up to hiking and other recreational activities.
Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy (NCLC) recently announced it has received funding approval for up to $725,000 from the Connecticut State Bond Commission to support the Colebrook Reservoir Easement acquisition—a land protection project that will collectively protect 5,200 acres that safeguard Connecticut’s largest untapped drinking water reservoir and vital wildlife habitat.
The land is located in Colebrook and Hartland, Connecticut, and Sandisfield and Tolland, Massachusetts. It includes approximately 4,300 acres of forested lands surrounding the Colebrook River Reservoir in Connecticut and an additional 1,200 acres in Massachusetts.
With this final funding in place, NCLC can proceed with the $1 million purchase of the conservation easement it has worked to secure since 2023. It is expected to close by the end of the year.
“This is one of the largest land protection projects in our state’s history and safeguards our state’s clean water, environmental health, and continued public access to nature,” said NCLC Executive Director Catherine Rawson.
Under the terms of the new agreement, new public access to the property will be allowed for passive recreation such as hunting, fishing, hiking, and boating, subject to approval. Residential, industrial, commercial, and other forms of development will not be allowed.
