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FEB. 2021 | IN THIS ISSUE

- President's Corner
- Beacon Hill Preserve
Bobcats: CT's Secretive Wildcats
Protecting Land Conservation Funds
WLT & Community Events
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President's Corner

Picture of Land Trust President Victor HersonWelcome to this first newsletter of the New Year! As our organization and community turn the page on 2020, we look forward to a brighter future in 2021. At the same time, let’s not forget how the pandemic and its associated restrictions gave us greater appreciation for the WLT’s mission of conserving open space and natural resources and “connecting people with nature.” 

If you haven’t done so already please make sure to renew your membership at our website. I’d also like to thank the generous major donors who pledged matching funds for the Annual Appeal. Their support and commitment to further the Land Trust’s goals are deeply appreciated.

Best wishes for a happy and healthy new year!

Vic Herson, President

Beacon Hill Preserve

Photo showing view of Wintonbury Hills Golf Course from the Beacon Hill PreserveThe Land Trust received the fourth and final land donation last fall from Hannah Roditi and Marc Caplan to complete the Beacon Hill Preserve and preserve the wooded pinnacle seen here from the Wintonbury Hills Golf Course. This undeveloped, contiguous 14.4 acres of hardwood uplands originally was subdivided for homes and sat idle for years due to access issues. It includes a pinnacle 140 feet above the town center that offers spectacular views of Reservoir #3 to the east and Penwood State Park on Metacomet Ridge to the west. The preserve is accessed from the end of Beacon Hill Drive.  WLT plans to develop a neighborhood walking trail this year that will include a path along the reservoir and will partly use the Eversource access road, a disused farm path, and a remnant of the yellow-blazed Wintonbury Trail. 

Photo showing view of Reservoir #3 from Beacon Hill PreserveThe official donation process started two years ago when Nelly Schwan and John Cosker each gave their 3.5 acre plots to the Land Trust and the Town of Bloomfield received a third 3.5 acre parcel from the Vincent Family.  However, that simple statement does not begin to describe the complexity of the acquisition process, which actually began over 8 years ago with discussions with one of the property owners.  It eventually included negotiations with the four property owners, the Town, and adjoining property and easement holders including the Wintonbury Hills Golf Course, Eversource, and State Department of Energy & Environmental Protection.  The WLT Acquisitions Committee should be lauded for their patience, persistence, creativity, and vision in bringing this complicated donation to fruition. The Land Trust also extends our gratitude to the families who decided to donate these parcels and preserve this beautiful open space for all to enjoy.

Bobcats: CT's Secretive Wildcats

Graphic logo for the the 2021 nature lecture series cosponsored by the Bloomfield Leisure Services Department and Wintonbury Land Trust

On January 6 approximately166 attendees were in for a real treat as they tuned in to hear an online presentation about the bobcat’s natural history in Connecticut including their habitat, diet, reproduction, current research efforts, and how they differ from mountain lions.

Paul Colburn, a State-certified Master Wildlife Conservationist, trained in wildlife management, natural history, and interpretation, presented - and wowed - the audience.  Even if you thought you knew everything about bobcats, Paul quickly demonstrated how much more there was to learn and what researchers still are learning about this amazing cat.

Bobcats are this state’s only breeding wildcat. (Paul stated emphatically that the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection’s denial that mountain lions (or cougars) do not reside here is based on science. There is no breeding population of mountain lions here!) 

Bobcats are solitary creatures, except when mating or raising their young, and rarely are seen as they are most active before dawn and just after dusk. They punch way above their weight when it comes to hunting  and can bring down a 150-pound deer, even though the bobcat is only 2-3 times larger than a domestic cat! They are very patient hunters and rely on a thick under-story in their preferred habitat of mixed forests with wetlands to stalk their prey. They have even been known to go into the water after food. A bobcat can leap a seven-foot fence from a dead stop and will use its eyesight and ears more than smell when it comes to hunting. They are carnivores and eat a broad range of species from rabbits, which make up the bulk of their diets, to squirrels, birds, muskrat, chipmunks, rats and other small rodents, beaver, porcupine, and mink. That headless rabbit you saw half-buried by leaves by the side of the trail was probably cached there by a bobcat to keep it fresh and safe from other predators, and it is likely watching you from a safe distance! Bobcats are also known to fancy the odd domestic cat or fowl.

Once thought a threat to agricultural animals and hunted for their fur, they were slaughtered almost to extinction.  Hunting was banned in 1972, and it is estimated that there are now about 1,000 in the state. They continue to flourish, although their population fluctuates with the abundance of prey. They are believed to have a range of 8-29 square miles, and research shows they are comfortable in urban and suburban environments as well as the rugged, more isolated terrain of their traditional habitat. They don’t have too many predators once grown but as young can be taken by Great Horned Owls, coyotes, and adult male bobcats. If they survive to adulthood, they can live 5-7 years, sometimes as long as 12 years. They rarely contract rabies, and any bobcat behaving abnormally or aggressively should be reported to DEEP.

They are serially monogamous and breed in February/March. One to four kittens are born in April. They are helpless at birth and will nurse for 69 days and stay with their mother until the next spring.

There is a lot of research going on at DEEP on bobcats, and the Farmington River Valley is one of the areas of focus. DEEP’s bobcat page can be found here.  The public is encouraged to report sightings (including roadkill) so that DEEP can learn more about their diet, home range, size, mortality rates, reproductive rates, and juvenile survival. To view bobcats in action, visit WLT's YouTube Channel for a recommended video, The Mystery and Magic of Bobcats.

Also be sure to watch the next in the Nature Lecture Series on White-Tail Deer February 3 at 6:30. Paul will delight you with what you don’t know! Register here.

Protecting Land Conservation Funds

Our partner, the Connecticut Land Conservation Council, is preparing for the next Connecticut legislative session and the next Congress.  We rely on them to help create, protect, and enhance land conservation funding at the state and national level. For example:

  • Enact legislation to permit municipalities to generate their own revenue for environmental projects.

  • Prevent budget raids on the Community Investment Act's fund for open space and farmland.

  • Protect existing tax exemptions for land trusts.

  • Allocate funds for the new federal Land & Water Conservation Fund.

 With fewer live public hearings during the pandemic, residents' calls, texts, and emails are expected to play a greater role this year.  More information about CLCC's efforts can be found online, and folks interested in getting more involved with land conservation policy work are invited to email CLCC's executive director, Amy Blaymore Patterson

 

WLT and Community Events

Graphic logo for the the 2021 nature lecture series cosponsored by the Bloomfield Leisure Services Department and Wintonbury Land Trust2021 Nature Lecture Series
The Wintonbury Land Trust & Bloomfield Leisure Services Nature Lecture Series continues to rave reviews with free on-line Zoom presentations by Paul Coburn, a Connecticut DEEP-certified Master Wildlife Conservationist. Visit our webpage for more details and a complete schedule.

White-Tailed Deer in Connecticut, Wed., February 3, 6:30 - 8:00 pm
This webinar will present the history of White-Tailed Deer in Connecticut and discuss how to coexist with them by understanding their habitat, preferred diet, behavior, and reproduction. Register here

Coyotes in Connecticut, Wed., March 3,  6:30 - 8:00 pm
In this free webinar we’ll explore the history of Coyotes in Connecticut and learn about their habitat, diet, behavior, and reproduction. Register here.  

Snowshoe Hike
Sat., February 20, 9:30 am. Raindate: Sun., February 21, 9:30 am. 
Join us for a winter outing at the Wintonbury Land Trust's Speer Preserve. Come early and be prepared to be on the trail shortly after 9:30 a.m. COVID-19 prevention measures will be observed. Please come with snowshoes if we have snow, or hiking boots if there is no snow. Wear seasonal outdoor clothing. Meet at the cul-de-sac at the top of Juniper Road in Bloomfield. The trail is an easy to moderate 1½-2 hour hike through the Speer Preserve, an upland forest surrounded by open land and MDC Reservoir property.

The Value of Trees Webinar
Wed., March 24,  6:30 pm
Join this on-line webinar as arborist John Kehoe highlights the many magical benefits that trees provide to our environment, wildlife, property values, and our overall well-being. Come explore how trees are not only the lungs of the world, but also how they contribute to the enhancement of our communities. Sponsored by the Bloomfield Public Library, and the Bloomfield Beautification and the Conservation, Energy & Environment Committees. Register here

The 4 Five Farm
The Duesing family  has been leasing Hawk Hill Farm from the Wintonbury Land Trust since April 2020. Check out their website to learn more about this organic farming operation, to sign up for information on egg-shares, and other ways to support these farmers who are helping to keep the farm in Hawk Hill (and who donate their products generously to local charities for families in need).
You are a member, attended an event, or expressed interest in the Traprock Ridge Land Conservancy, which formed in April 2023 by the merger of East Granby Land Trust, West Hartford Land Trust, and Wintonbury Land Trust. For best delivery, add our email to your address book. To change how you receive these emails, update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Wintonbury Land Trust is a private, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1982 to promote the preservation, improvement, protection, and conservation of natural resources for the benefit of Bloomfield and neighboring communities. All rights reserved © 2021. Traprock Ridge Land Conservancy P.O. Box 734 Bloomfield, CT 06002 USA

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