Land Trust buys 311 acre Girl Scouts Camp
By Janet Gokay

The Norfolk Land Trust is looking forward to June, when they expect to finalize their acquisition of 311 acres of pristine wilderness, formerly part of the Girl Scouts’ Camp Iwakta. The purchase will significantly enlarge the corridor of conservation lands stretching from Aton Forest to South Norfolk, enabling humans to hike through miles of wildness and safeguard habitat vital to many species of plants and wildlife.

“Nothing will change—and that’s what we want,” says Libby Borden, president of the Norfolk Land Trust. “It is really an extraordinary piece of property. It has everything—cliffs and wonderful rock formations with great views, significant wetlands, mature forests—all kinds of ecosystems.”

The property, off Grantville Road, rises to the north and east of Smith Pond, which empties into the Mad River. The best access to the property will be from the Mad River section of the Billings Trail, a portion of the old railroad bed owned by the Norfolk Land Trust.

After the closing in June, the Norfolk Land Trust will begin the work of opening the property up with trails for hiking and cross country skiing,” Borden said.

The trek to the highest point on the property—one of the highest points in Norfolk—should offer hikers a workout, pointed out Norfolk Land Trust board member Dennis Collins. “You’ll start at the river—at about 1200 feet—and go up to close to 1600 feet. That’s more than the walk up Dennis Hill (about 200 feet), and just a bit less than the Haystack trail (which climbs 500 feet).”

The land is part of the Highlands region, which stretches from northwest Connecticut through northern New Jersey, to southeastern Pennsylvania. The federal Highlands Conservation Act of 2004 declared that this 3.4 million acre area has “resources of high conservation value” that should be “permanently protected”—and authorized federal funds to do so.

Funding for the Girl Scout acquisition has come from a combination of federal funds ($157,500), state grants (Connecticut’s Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Grant Program, $284,000) and private donations. As of late January, the Norfolk Land Trust has only $35,000 yet to raise by June and will be sending out a mailing soon to raise the remaining funds.

The Land Trust partnered with the Litchfield Halls Greenprint Collaborative, dedicated to preserving land in Northwest Connecticut, to secure the funds.

The sale will not affect Norfolk’s tax rolls since it will continue its non-profit status.

The sale of the Camp Iwakta property is part of a trend among local Scout camps nationwide. The Kent Land Trust is in negotiations to purchase the 253-acre Camp Francis property in Kent Hollow for $1.5 million. The land would be preserved as open space.