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The Campaign for Simsbury
SLT Receives $1.4 million Grant to Preserve Tulmeadow Farm Woodlot
Efforts underway to raise remaining
funds needed
On October 30, the Simsbury Land Trust received confirmation that Congress had approved funding for the U.S. Forest Service’s “2010 Forest Legacy Program” and that the final version of the bill included $1,415,000 for the 73 acre Tulmeadow Woodlot! This was the culmination of several months of legislative process during which the Tulmeadow application was first in and then out. Thanks to the strong endorsement of the Connecticut Delegation, Senators  Chris Dodd and Joe Lieberman, Representative John Larson and particularly the persistent attention of Representative Chris Murphy, the bill’s final version included an appropriation for the permanent protection of the Tulmeadow site.
The Simsbury Land Trust applied to the program in June 2008 beginning an arduous series of steps that took sixteen months. Milestones included a #1 ranking by the State of Connecticut, inclusion on the recommendation list from the Northeast States, approval by the US Forestry Service and inclusion on its recommendation list to the White House. From there it was placed #34 out of only 47 projects nationwide that were submitted to Congress. The appropriations bill approved by the House funded fewer than the 47 recommended projects but Tulmeadow was still on the list. The Senate passed an appropriations bell that would fund even fewer projects and Tulmeadow was not amont those it would. It was at the Conference Committee as the House and Senate appropriation bills were being reconciled that the Connecticut Delegation succeeded in getting the Tulmeadow Woodlot included in the final vote.
The Simsbury Land Trust and the Tuller families have already completed the placement of conservation easements on 187 acres of the farm in prior transactions. This Forest Legacy Program will afford similar protection for the farm’s remaining 73 acres. $1,415,000 represents 50% of the funds required to put this program in place. In addition, the SLT has already gathered cash and pledges of almost $400,000 from generous individuals and it has approximately one year from now to assemble the remaining match from a variety of public and private sources.
The Forest Legacy Program provides for the permanent protection of privately owned forest for the active production of timber. This program is a perfect fit for the 73 acre Tulmeadow Woodlot which the Tullers have managed for many years under an approved forestry management plan.
The Simsbury Land Trust is anxious to preserve the Tuller Woodlot for several reasons. It is an important part of farm operations in that it produces a timber harvest every seven to ten years. This provides a needed source of capital for farm improvements. It is a valuable recreational resource. Its logging roads provide a network of trails and hundreds of children and parents visit these woods each year for Flamig Farm’s Annual Halloween Hayrides. The Town has no comparable venue for this event. It is the final link in a corridor of protected properties from Ethel Walker School to the McLean Game Refuge. Finally, periodic logging maintains a permanent succession forest, one of the few remaining. This constant regeneration of younger growth provides a rich variety of habitat for a broader range of plants and wildlife than we would otherwise have.
This is truly an opportunity that we will never have again. Please. Join us in this effort!
Tulmeadow Farm Woodlot
We need your help to preserve the remaining piece of Tulmeadow Farm — the 73 acre woodlot!
The Simsbury Land Trust has been working with the Tuller family to permanently protect the 260-acre Tulmeadow Farm through conservation easements. The Tulmeadow Woodlot is the last 73 acres still unprotected. The woods cover 73 acres at the far south side of the farm.
They are known to many as the site of the Halloween Hayrides organized annually by Flamig Farm.
We need your help to preserve this woodlot for its own value and for what it adds to the overall town. Sale of the conservation easement to the SLT, instead of development, will ensure that the family farm remains a viable and treasured community landmark for years to come.
The option agreement with the Tuller family expires next year. The Simsbury Land Trust must raise $3.1 million by next summer to protect this important tract of land. We are seeking public funding, but we will need significant support from Simsbury and area residents to complete this project. For more information on how you can help us protect the Tulmeadow Woodlot go to the Campaign section of the website or call 860-651-8773.
For additional information on The Campaign for Simsbury, please go to the Campaign Update section of the website.
Tulmeadow Farm Photo Gallery |
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