For the past year we have ensuring the protection of the Spaulding Pond Preserve, a 900-acre mini-wilderness near the center of Norfolk. AF, Inc. received a conservation easement on this property back in 2016 from the Connecticut Conservation Association. During the past year we refined the map of the property to show not only the easement protected areas but also the areas not under easement but deed restricted. This required extensive work by surveyor John DiCara, who was able to map all the interior lot lines as well as the perimeter of the property and provide land record information for each of these. Attorney Fritz Gahagan was also instrumental in helping us sort out the often time confusing easements and boundaries. More importantly, however, he was able to clarify the restrictions and affirmative rights of the easements. Another matter with which we had to be concerned was the proposed sale of the Spaulding Pond by the Connecticut River Conservancy (aka Connecticut River Watershed Council). Working with AF attorney Gahagan and Keith Ross of Landvest, the company handling the sale for the CRC, we are hopeful that a conservation organization with interests compatible with the unique preservation afforded by the conservation easement will be found and provide us with a new partner in protecting this wonderful preserve. We are looking for volunteers to help monitor our easement and the land, so please let us know if you are interested.
We acquired the Danforth 15 acres in 2018, which is adjacent to other lands of AF and located on Route 183 in Colebrook. A work plan and a conservation management plan were developed for this property (which was a requirement of the grant, primarily to maintain the property in its undeveloped state). Activities that should be undertaken include: an annual walk-through survey and take photos; mark boundaries; monitor species, habitats, disturbance, and more; control of invasive plants; litter collection; preserve historic features (ancient road and charcoal pits), and; prevent trespass. Volunteers are always welcome to help us with these tasks, so please contact us if you are interested.
We continued working on clearing the riparian zones of invasive shrubs and trees. This work is supported by a Conservation Stewardship Program grant from the US Natural Resource Conservation Service. This is a 5-year grant, which will end this year. Approximately 3 acres of heavily to moderately infested land was treated to remove non-native barberry, honeysuckle, rose, and buckthorn. This means another 35 acres of AF riparian zone has been inspected and is clear of invasive plants, and over the life of the project, we treated about 20 acres, and 100 acres of riparian zone are now free of invasive plants, though some mop-up is to be expected. This is the second time we have received this grant, the previous grant project was to conduct an inventory of snags, downed logs and den trees from 2010-2014.