Conservation groups partner to protect farm

MORRIS » The Morris Land Trust and Connecticut Farmland Trust recently announced the placement of a conservation easement on the 138-plusacre, historic Farnham Farm.

The farm has been in the same family since 1735, and the current owner, Anne Fellows, is committed to protecting her family’s property from development. The picturesque property includes farm fields, stonewalls, meandering streams, wetlands, diverse forest habitat, and a portion of the Mattatuck Trail.

Preservation of Farnham Farm will ensure that one of Morris’s original farms remains undeveloped and will be a major step toward guarding the town’s beauty and rural heritage.

An agricultural conservation easement is a deed restriction that permanently limits nonfarm development to protect the land’s agricultural resources. The agreement permits ag-

ricultural structures and improvements, and encourages continued farming and compatible uses of the land. The terms of the agreement are tailored to meet the landowner’s needs and characteristics of the farm.

“The Morris Land Trust is extremely grateful to John Weedon and Elisabeth Moore of Connecticut Farmland Trust for their help in securing the state and federal funding for the purchase of the Farnham Farm easement,” members said in a written statement. “The MLT is also thankful for the tremendous amount of time dedicated to the preservation of open space in the

town of Morris by its president, Ben Solnit, and its Board of Directors.”

Funds raised during past MLT Wine Tastings, the CT Community Foundation’s Give Local campaign, and yearly memberships also helped in making this tremendous acquisition possible, by allowing MLT to pay its share of appraisal and other fees.

The Morris Land Trust is

a conservation organization dedicated to the preservation and maintenance of the rural character and natural resources of Morris. It was established in 2008 and may be contacted at P.O. Box 31, Morris, CT 06763 and morrislandtrust@aol.com.

“The MLT hopes that other Morris landowners will join the effort to keep Morris scenic and rural

and will contact the Morris Land Trust to discuss their conservation options. Anyone interested in land conservation is very welcome to join the land trust,” members said.

Connecticut Farmland Trust is the only private, statewide non-profit conservation organization dedicated exclusively to protecting Connecticut’s working farmland. Established

in 2002, the Trust has protected more than 3300 acres on 45 family farms around the state. For more information about the Trust, visit www.CTFarmland.org.