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CT League of Conservation Voters Environmental Summit 2023
Several members of GCA’s board and steering committee attended the CT LCV summit on Tuesday, January 24th. The LCV is a “non-partisan, statewide, nonprofit organization dedicated to giving our environment a voice at the Capitol.” Twenty-one briefing papers were the topics of panel discussions ranging from the 30 x 30 goal (30% of CT’s forest and farm acreage protected by 2030), environmental justice, decarbonization, offshore wind, polystyrene and composting, to black bears, rodenticides and neonicotinoids. We urge you to read as many of the excellent and informative papers as you can.
Town of Groton Closes on Wolfebrook Property!
Remarks by Aundre Bumgardner, Groton town councilor and state representative, on the property closing in The Day: “Thanks to the collaborative efforts between the Town of Groton, state, and our conservation friends, we have protected in perpetuity the 161-acre Wolfebrook property, representing the largest open space acquisition in town history this millennium… Now and forever, Eccleston Brook watershed and vernal pools supporting both flora and fauna, intact mature forests, and stone walls of Native American origin will be cherished by future generations.”
GCA raised close to $50K toward the purchase of the Wolfebrook property through the Groton Parks Foundation, as mentioned in The Day article. Click HERE read more about the Wolfebrook property.
Swamped: Why America's Wetlands Matter by Annie Proulx
Groton’s Beebe Pond Park comprises 97 acres of woodlands, a salt pond, stone walls, boulders, swamp, streams, and the remains of an old mill. To learn more about wetlands and swamps and why they are important to Groton’s environmental sustainability, click here to read Annie Proulx’s article.
The Nature Conservancy article on the U.S. conservation goal of 30 x 30
The Nature Conservancy article on the U.S. conservation goal of 30 x 30
Data Center in Groton?
See our ALERT about the proposed data center and the public meeting. Come to the meeting! Write a letter to the Town Council! For more information on the data center issue, please read GCA’s letter to the Town Council for a summary of our concerns. For EVEN MORE INFO, check out this 2/23/2022 New London Day article and this 2/24/2022 op-ed piece by David Collins, and this 2/22/2022 CT EXAMINER article. A July 2021 article on Facebook’s data center in Utah explores the huge tax breaks being offered to data centers country-wide.
Our 2022 Year-in-Review Newsletter
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Groton Ponders Data Center Challenge
Facebook’s New Albany, Ohio, Data Center : This is the image that New England Edge recommended the Town Council look at to get an idea of what data centers look like.
The Town of Groton is considering an agreement with a newly formed company called New England Edge that would allow the company to place a large data center on 173 forested acres immediately west of Flanders Rd and below Rte. I-95. A data center is essentially a building filled with computers that collect, distribute, and store data from its customers. Groton Conservation Advocates is concerned the town may make an agreement before they have seen a business plan or are fully aware of the consequences for Groton. The Council is under heavy pressure from the company to vote to approve the center at its March 8th meeting. Issues of concern:
Economic: The center is guaranteed property tax exemptions for 20 to 30 years. Is this in the town’s best interest? Water, electric and sewer hookups will be needed, at whose expense? The Council should seek answers to these questions before signing an agreement.
Environmental: Permitting the development of this property is a move in the wrong direction for Groton. The property is fully covered by mature trees and removing large swaths of trees goes against the town’s purported goal of not contributing to global warming. The town should require that the data center be carbon neutral. Numerous wetlands and vernal pools occur on this property. These need to be carefully protected. Data centers require huge amounts of electricity and water to run. Will Groton’s water supply be protected in times of drought from overuse by the data center? A closed loop water system should be used. During testing and power outages, diesel fuel will power generators which will pollute our air and make a lot of noise, so noise abatement will be needed. Will the two main pollutants on data center properties--diesel fuel and batteries—be properly managed and controlled?
These are just a few of the questions GCA has about this project. We will keep you informed as the project moves forward.
Support Our Town's Open Space Acquisition
The Wolfebrook property has exceptional ecological and historical features. Eccleston Brook, pictured above, runs through it.
As the year end approaches, we have an extraordinary opportunity to help the Town of Groton forever protect one of Groton’s most environmentally rich properties— the 161-acre Wolfebrook property located north of Route 1 and south of 95 and between Noank Ledyard Rd. and Flanders Rd. Groton Conservation Advocates invites you to join with us to make this acquisition happen.
GCA is partnering with the Town of Groton and Groton Open Space Association to protect this keystone property from development. Please take a few minutes to read our brochure; it provides maps and beautiful pictures of Wolfebrook and details the exceptional ecological and historical values that led both the CT Dept. of Energy and Environmental Protection and Groton’s Conservation Commission to place the property at the top of their acquisition lists decades ago.
GCA has pledged to raise $50,000 to close the purchase-price gap and establish a stewardship fund for trail maintenance and invasives management. We are asking everyone we know who values protecting open space to help with this effort. We hope you will consider a gift of $100 or whatever you can afford. Here’s how:
Gifts to GCA are not tax deductible because we are a 501(c)(4) organization. So, Groton Parks Foundation, a 501(c)3, has set up a restricted account to receive Wolfebrook gifts, which will then be turned over to the Town to fund the purchase and stewardship.
Please make your check payable to the Groton Parks Foundation, write “Wolfebrook purchase” on the memo line, and mail to Groton Parks Foundation at 29 Spicer Ave., Groton, CT, 06340. Thank you for considering a donation to this most worthy of causes. Our best wishes for a very happy holiday season and healthy new year.
Open Space Equity Action: King-Kolnaski Trails Committee
Jill Rusk and Cierra Patrick, City of Groton Trails Committee members
Last July, in the thick of Black Lives Matter demonstrations and DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) demands for meaningful change, GCA resolved to act on the festering issue of equity of access to open space in Groton.
GCA contacted John Burt, Groton Town Manager, to ask what’s was being done to make the King-Kolnaski easement property accessible to the people bordering it in the City and in Groton. John said the town hadn’t done anything yet, but asked if we would be willing to help. We had a special interest in the property because GCA, along with two local land trust organizations, had been involved in adding the Birch Plain Creek portion of the King property to the Boulder Heights property as part of the Groton Middle School property swap. We immediately said yes. A group of 10 formed the King-Kolnaski Trails Committee and our first Zoom meeting was held in late October 2020. Days later, we took all interested King-Kolnaski committee members, family and friends out to bushwhack our way from the EB parking lot to the quarry area on the creek. Everyone was stunned by the beauty of the property and the sensation of being in the wild in the midst of Groton. Committee members excitedly chatted about connecting the King property not only to neighborhoods to the east and west, but to green space areas like Crystal Lake to the south and Washington Park to the northwest.
In early December, we commenced tagging a draft loop trail. Good progress was made by the end of January. Mark Berry, director of Groton Parks & Rec., and foreman Jeff Church and his crew have done a phenomenal job of clearing invasive plants and trees from around the trail entrance and around the full loop. Numerous snow storms slowed progress, but before the end of winter the entire trail was cleared. The blue loop trail blazing is almost complete and we hope to have a name for the nature preserve before the end of June. Other projects include deciding on a name, which falls to the Parks & Rec. Commission, and removing the trash that has accumulated over the years on the City/Town property line.