Weantinoge preserves more than 300 acres in 2011

Weantinoge Heritage Land Trust, a regional land trust and Connecticut's largest land trust, has announced the permanent preservation of more than 300 acres of land in Litchfield County during 2011.

David Puth donated 75 acres of land above the Housatonic River on Long Mountain, increasing the size of the trust's Bass Road Preserve to more than 300 acres in an ecologically significant area that runs from just beyond the center of New Milford to South Kent.

The property is formerly working woodland now part of Weantinoge's research program concerned with restoration forestry.

In addition, Barbara and Mortimer Klaus donated a 106-acre conservation easement in Sharon. The Klaus Preserve is on Sharon Mountain, adjacent to the Housatonic State Forest.

The easement adds to an eight-mile-long, protected wildlife corridor from Salisbury to Cornwall Bridge encompassing more than 8,000 acres.

In Salisbury, Richard Revesz and Vicki Been donated a 40-acre, forever-wild easement, which protect native forests from logging and enables native trees to survive for their entire natural lifespan.

The acquisition is connected to an existing, 25-acre easement also donated by Mr. Revesz and Ms. Been.

Also in Sharon, the Zucker family donated an 81-acre conservation easement on Indian Mountain, and Weantinoge partnered with Gregory Ostling and Angela Tu to protect a 28-acre farm and forest parcel on East Street.