“It takes patience, persistence and a little bit of perspiration.”
That’s New Canaan Land Trust President Chris Schipper’s motto when it comes to maintaining open space for the town of New Canaan to enjoy.
2013 was a big year for Schipper and the Land Trust. The organization’s leadership changed after 28 years, a new logo was put in place to help revamp its image, members cleared and opened two wildlife havens for the public’s enjoyment, and a merger with the town’s Audubon Society brought in 56 additional acres of open space to the organization’s already more than 300 acres of property.
This past year, the Land Trust has lived up to its mission of preserving the open space, wildlife sanctuaries and scenic beauty of New Canaan, making it the Advertiser’s Organization of the Year for 2013.
Schipper credits much of the organization’s success in 2013 to the New Canaan Community Foundation for issuing a grant that allowed the Land Trust to survey boundaries for half its holdings. He also lauded additional board members — Tom Cronin, Ditte Reifsnyder, Siw de Gysser, Penny Ross, and Julia Portale — who joined the organization this year and stepped up to volunteer to help open wildlife sanctuaries.
“The board has been supportive of opening sanctuaries and putting energy into the Land Trust, which is an asset to New Canaan,” Schipper said. “We were very fortunate finding five new people willing to join the board in an effort to support open space.”
Changing hands
The Land Trust was founded by Jack Gunther in 1967. It holds around 365 acres of land — 261 acres in perpetuity in a natural state for the benefit of all New Canaan residents to wander through the woods, open pastures and trails, 48 acres of conservation easements that are still owned by private individuals, and 56 acres formerly held by the New Canaan Audubon Society.
Gunther was the group’s first president and served until 1982. The trust’s second president, Art Potts, who served as president for the past 28 years, stepped down from his post in January and handed over the reigns to Schipper.
Schipper took over the helm of the organization earlier in 2013 after working with Potts to learn the history and operational side of the Land Trust.
“When I became president I had in mind a number of goals, but No. 1 was really how can I increase awareness of the Land Trust,” Schipper said. “It seemed to be almost below everybody’s radar, and I wanted to raise awareness.”
Raising awareness included marking Land Trust boundaries near abutting property lines, increasing visibility with signs and the new logo, and publicizing a map that clearly depicted all the organization’s holdings throughout town. Schipper also focused on increasing membership by speaking with various civic groups in town.
“On the membership side, we’ve seen a 50% growth in rate, and people are still joining,” Schipper said. “We think in this year our funding will have gone up five times higher this fiscal year than what we had two years ago. That enables us to take on activities like rebuilding stone walls, clearing invasive plants, taking vines off trees and things that improve the long-term value of the parcels.”
A team effort
One of the Land Trust’s major goals is to get the community out enjoying New Canaan’s open space. This year, the organization — with help from Boy and Girl Scouts in town and the high school’s Service League of Boys, also known as the SLOBs — opened two wildlife sanctuaries for residents and the general public to enjoy.
“Our biggest goal is to get people walking outside again and in the woods,” Schipper said. “To clear your mind for a half hour and decompress for a little bit is wonderful.”
This past summer, the organization opened the Nancy Watson Symington Wildlife Sanctuary, a 45-acre parcel that the public can access from Wellesley Drive, to the public. Former resident Ann Hemingway Symington donated the property to the New Canaan Land Trust in 1995.
Boy Scout George Herde, who belongs to Troop 70 in New Canaan, helped the Land Trust open the property by restoring part of the old trail that comes in from Wellesley Drive for his Eagle Scout project. Herde worked with family, friends and volunteers to create a direct route and block off erosion and weathering of the existing trail. With his help, the organization opened the property by the start of summer.
In 2013, the organization also made the W. Pritchard Browne Wildlife Sanctuary available for public use and enjoyment. The sanctuary, a 10.5-acre woodland property that offers views of the Grupes Reservoir and fern meadows, is a place for residents — and the general public — to walk, contemplate, enjoy nature, and simply unwind.
The sanctuary was the sixth parcel donated to the New Canaan Land Trust. Mr. W. Pritchard donated the property on Nov. 24, 1969, just two years after the Land Trust was founded in 1967. The trailed property is a half-mile, or 20-minute, walk through one of the town’s woodland settings and is accessible from two points along Valley Road. The trail offers a wetland walkway, elevation changes, a view of the reservoir and fern meadows, and a large, glacial erratic rock sits at a far corner of the property.
Schipper credited much of the organization’s success this year to the collaboration with many nonprofit groups in town, as well as the town’s Department of Public Works. Whatever contributions the organization receives, Schipper said the Land Trust spends those funds and maintains properties by hiring New Canaan service providers.
“The idea is you want to give back to the town and the town service providers,” Schipper said. “It makes me feel good to give something back to these guys here in town working. Ultimately in the end, all these nonprofits and businesses in town really build the brand of New Canaan. For that we are all grateful.”
2014
Schipper said he hopes to serve another year as president to increase awareness activities, membership and funding for the Land Trust. He mentioned another item on his to-do list is to clearly mark borders on Land Trust properties that neighbors might mistake as their own.
“We have an overall board mission to work with everyone in a neighborly fashion,” Schipper said. “We just want our neighbors to understand where the lines are and try to maintain them. People appreciate the extra effort when you make it on behalf of everyone.”
Schipper would also like to see New Canaanites contributing more land and easements to the Land Trust in 2014.
“The board and I feel we owe a great debt of gratitude to the 60 or so families who dedicated land or easements to the trust,” Schipper said. “Out of respect to them, we are continuing our activities going forward. I’d love to get another 10 families to contribute as well.”
Chris Schipper, the New Canaan Land Turst president, has opened up more trails to residents in 2013. (Aaron Marsh photo)