Help GOSA Save Center Groton Preserve in Perpetuity

Please consider supporting our latest land acquisition project, Center Groton Preserve, an 89-acre forested property located off Route 117 and Phillips Avenue within the Center Groton neighborhood. This property will extend and connect the exceptional wildlife habitats, scenic trails, and stream corridors of GOSA’s existing 305-acre Avery Farm Nature Preserve and 91-acre Candlewood Ridge properties. It will offer trails that highlight its unique features and extend across the properties for long-distance hiking loops.

The property is an important component of a moderate-sized, unfragmented, core forest block, comprising more than 250 acres with areas greater than 350 feet from roads and development. Core forest is critical for conservation of deep-forest-dependent wildlife species. Protection of this property would also extend protection of high-value wildlife habitats identified at GOSA’s Avery Farm and Candlewood Ridge preserves. The property features a high ridge trail, scenic rock features, historic stone structures, 14 acres of forested wetlands, wildlife-productive vernal pools, a small waterfall, and two streams flowing toward the Ledyard Reservoir, which is a part of the Groton Reservoir system, and on to Long Island Sound. The property will contribute to Groton’s climate resiliency by filtering drinking water resources, providing cool shade, and storing large amounts of carbon. The wetlands provide water storage and flood control, along with drought relief through ground water recharge.

Access and parking to the property will be available from Phillips Avenue near the Center Groton Fire House and off North Road (Route 117) near the border with Ledyard.

Protecting land and wildlife habitats takes time and requires money to fund. The purchase price of this property is $445,000, and additional associated costs of up to $75,000 are required to cover appraisals, survey, legal fees, title search, closing costs, and stewardship. Please consider donating to help fund the purchase of this new property to extend the greenbelt habitat and publicly available recreation trails that GOSA has been fortunate to offer in our corner of Southeastern Connecticut. Together we can make a difference for the future of our local environment!