South Norfolk land will connect with Dennis Hill

By Kelly Kandra Hughes

Thanks to a new partnership between the Norfolk Land Trust (NLT) and Northeast Wilderness Trust, more of Norfolk’s woodlands will remain forever wild. Northeast Wilderness Trust, a Vermont-based conservation organization, has established a forever-wild conservation easement on a large block of NLT land in South Norfolk, ensuring this vital natural area will remain untouched by human development or management. 

“Norfolk Land Trust is happy to participate in the Wildlands Partnership,” says NLT President Libby Borden. “The conservation easement adds a layer of protection and a second organization that will help NLT watch over and preserve this beautiful land.” The protected land, which features frontage on Bruey, Winchester, and Parker Hill Roads, represents an important step in expanding New England’s network of wilderness areas. The new forever-wild easement legally protects the habitat for at least 10 rare plant and animal species, including silver-haired, red, and hoary bats and sharp-lobed hepatica. 

Northeast Wilderness Trust, which specializes in forever-wild conservation, allows protected lands to evolve naturally without human intervention. This approach is particularly significant given the scarcity of forever-wild areas in the northeast. A 2023 Harvard Forest report found that only 3.3 percent of New England is protected as permanent wildlands, far below the recommended target of 10 percent.

The newly-protected Norfolk area helps strengthen a growing corridor of conserved lands in northwestern Connecticut. While not directly adjacent to Northeast Wilderness Trust’s preserves in Cornwall and Salisbury, the property connects with Dennis Hill State Park to the north and extends toward the 7,500-acre Great Mountain Forest to the west, creating vital pathways for wildlife movement.

The forever-wild easement is part of Northeast Wilderness Trust’s Wildlands Partnership program, which provided NLT with a $130,000 grant. Future generations will have the opportunity to experience and benefit from this pristine wilderness area while contributing to the vital goal of expanding New England’s protected wildlands. The partnership between the NLT and the Northeast Wilderness Trust also opens the possibility for NLT to participate in a wildlands carbon program, where carbon credits can be sold to generate ongoing income for land stewardship. 

Including the 610 acres now covered by the forever-wild easements, NLT preserves over 4,700 acres across Norfolk, North Canaan, Winchester, and Colebrook. Of this total, 3,227 acres are protected through conservation easements held by NLT, while 1,486 acres are owned preserves. As part of the NLT’s mission is to provide people with opportunities for outdoor recreation, there are over 20 miles of trails in town, including the South Norfolk Woodlands. 
The South Norfolk Woodlands trail is accessible from Bruey Road. For anyone interested, a guided hike of this trail will be offered on April 26 during the second annual Norfolk Earth Forum, as part of NLT’s and the Norfolk Library’s Books & Boots program, featuring Peter Wohlleben’s “Hidden Life of Trees.” More information on the Norfolk Land Trust can be found on their website www.norfolklandtrust.org.