Joshua's Trust now protects over 4,000 acres of land in northeastern CT! Help us reach 5,000 acres - become a land trust member today! office hours Former Eagleville School House South Eagleville Rd Mansfield, Connecticut, Thurs.1:30pm to 3:30pm. Gristmill Lithograph The full color lithograph of a new painting of the Gristmill by artist Charles McCaughtry, is on sale at Joshua's Land Trust Office. Welcome Ashford's Rankin Property © photo by Richard Hyde Joshua's Trust is the largest land trust, by acres preserved, in the northeast "Quiet Corner" of Connecticut. A non-profit organization, the Trust is designed to supplement the open space and historic conservation efforts of federal, state, and local governments by receiving gifts of land, conservation easements, and money. The Trust may also purchase tracts of land that it considers especially important to preserve. Our land trust was founded in 1966 as a joint venture of the Mansfield Historical Society and the Mansfield Conservation Commission. Joshua's Trust now protects more than 4,000 acres in Connecticut. Some properties are owned by the Trust and others are protected by easements. Our CT land trust is named for Joshua, son of Uncas, Mohegan Sachem, who in 1676 bequeathed his hunting grounds in the heart of eastern Connecticut to "16 men of Norwich". Joshua's Trust serves an area roughly conterminous with the Windham Region and extending into Tolland County, including the towns of Andover, Ashford, Chaplin, Columbia, Coventry, Eastford, Franklin, Hampton, Lebanon, Mansfield, Mansfield Center, Scotland, Storrs, Tolland, Willington, Windham and Willimantic, CT. For More Information, visit Joshua's Tract Conservation and Historic Trust History. Generous landowners who donate conservation easements to Joshua’s Land Trust are inspired by many things: they love Eastern Connecticut, they feel connected to their land, and they wish to leave a legacy of protected land for future generations. This inspiration is at the heart of our work to permanently protect valuable natural resources here in northeastern Connecticut. But for almost all of our donors, donating a conservation easement is a major financial decision, and the federal income tax deduction that comes with a donation helps make easements possible for landowners in our community. Volunteer for Joshua's Trust! The work of Joshua’s Trust is carried out almost entirely by volunteers, everything from cutting trails to stuffing envelopes, leading walks and tours to writing grants. Click here to learn what you can do to help conserve and protect open space in our community! Calling for Trust Memorabilia The year 2016 will be the 50th anniversary of the formation of Joshua's Trust. The anniversary committee is gathering material for a history to be part of the celebration. We are asking members to send photos, clippings or other information to the trust office in care of the anniversary committee. We can copy and return material if you wish. We will also be interviewing people with stories to tell about the Trust. Call Mona Anderson 860-487-1381 with questions or suggestions. Be sure to check out the Joshua's Trust Properties section for details on the wildlife, waterways, trails and preserves that our Connecticut land trust is protecting. Joshua's Tract Conservation and Historic Trust is active in the towns and villages of Andover, Ashford, Chaplin, Columbia, Coventry, Eastford, Franklin, Hampton, Lebanon, Mansfield, Mansfield Center, Scotland, Storrs, Tolland, Willington, Windham and Willimantic, Connecticut. Trust Reports and Newsletters: You can find copies of the land trust newsletters and annual reports here. Find archived news and events about Joshua's Trust. Related Links: Connecticut Audubon Society Connecticut Museum of National History Conserving Tolland The Last Green Valley The Nature Conservancy Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary River Alliance of Connecticut Thames Valley Trout Unlimited Willimantic River Alliance Land Trust News May 20 Wine and Beer Tasting Festival On May 20th, join us for live music, wine and beer at the Hampton Community Center. Co-sponsored with Bombadil's Spirit Shop, the festival will feature fifteen vendors, the Big Jump Band, and delicious hors d'oeuvres.  It is a great opportunity to sample a wide variety of beverages, order at a discount, and have fun with friends. For more information and to register, click here Birding May 16 & 17, Hubbard Sanctuary © photo by Steve Morytko Althought the sky was overcast making identification difficult, many birds put in an appearance today at Hubbard Sanctuary: Magnolia warblers, scarlet tanagers, flycatchers, yellow-throats, red-eyed vireos and Cerulean warblers were some of the many species seen Wed. morning. For pictures of birds you might see on this walk and other avian photos, click here. On the Wayne Norman show Past president Madge Manfred and regional steward Gary Griffin update Joshua's Trust activities and talk about the value of Land Trusts. Airdate: May 7, 2012. If you missed the live interview, click here for the archive from May 7th on the WILI website. Town Talk with Mark Paquette Turn on Charter CTV14 to hear our President Allison Burchell-Robinson and Treasurer Tony Holt, on Town Talk with Mark Paquette. The wide-ranging discussion covered many topics of interest including: What is a land trust? How is Joshua's Trust different from other land trusts? How can people become involved? Does the Trust have specific needs right now? Click here for the Charter TV website, go to Programming - Town Talk to watch the interviews online. Annual Newsletter Online All of these articles, and more, in color! in the annual report newsletter: Dinner a Night of Renewal, Recognition Tasting Festival will Expand your Horizons Raising the Trust's Profile Celebrate National Trails day To read these and many more articles, Click here for the 2012 Annual Report newsletter. Butterfly Garden Joshua's Trust is looking for volunteers to help plant, water, and weed the new butterfly garden at our Allanach-Wolf preserve. Click here to learn more about the Allanach-Wolf management plan and volunteer! Juniper Jazz Recap The Juniper Hill Jumpers Jazz Band Band leader Hill Bullard gave the signal, lifted his trombone and Knowlton Hall in Ashford came to life as the Juniper Hill Jumpers Jazz Band entertained the crowd for more than two hours with Dixieland music both slow and fast. The event was a fund raiser by Joshua's Trust for our land acquisition fund. The doors opened at 2:30 for refreshments and socializing before the band got to work. The level of enjoyment was visible from the tiny tot bouncing on his mother's knee to the toe tapping, hootin' and hollerin' at one table and the brave few who took to the dance floor. A good time was had by all. For pictures of the concert check out our Facebook page. And watch this web site for announcement of a return visit! Now get ready for our Wine and Beer Fest on Sunday, May 20th at the Hampton Community Center. In addition to the liquid refreshments, food will be available and the Big Jump Band will perform. More information will be posted shortly. Spring Newsletter Online All of these articles, and more, in color! in the spring newsletter: 46th Annual Meeting Thanks to Mike and Jean Hayden Reflections by our President Meet our new Conservation Coordinator Trust Purchases 17 acres adjacent to Allanch-Wolf Click here to read our land trust spring newsletter. To receive the newsletter through email instead of a paper copy, click here Winter Walk & Talk with Juan Sanchez Juan Sanchez leads hikers at Goodwin State Forest Over forty people joined naturalist Juan Sanchez at Goodwin's Conservation Center for an informative talk on Bernd Heinrich's book Winter World, which details the winter survival techniques of northeastern animals. Click here for the full article. Winter Newsletter Online All of these articles, and more in the winter newsletter: Easements - as Good as Outright Gifts Kessels hold the record for easements Reflections: How Much We Do, by Allison Burchell-Robinson Read the Joshua's Trust 2012 winter newsletter Hikers at Byles Sanctuary October 1st was the first Walktober event at Byles Sanctuary It just stopped raining in time for Saturday's hike, which explored the biodiversity of a climax forest and glacial moraines in our Ashford preserve. Join us for more October walks: Joshua's Trust sponsored Walktober events. Walktober 2011 The annual Walktober season approaches, when all around the 'Quiet Corner' we celebrate the natural beauty around us with hikes, paddles, farm tours and more. The complete calendar of events is available at the Last Green Valley website. From there you can view or download the brochure. Also check out the list of hikes sponsored by Joshua's Trust, listed on our Events page. Natchaug River Basin video Enjoy this video on YouTube by John Meyer and Holly Drinkuth, about ongoing efforts to protect the Natchaug River Basin watershed. A clip on Mason's Mill activities is included: View the Natchaug River Basin video. On The Radio Joshua's Trust president, Allison Burchell-Robinson, and long-time member and past president Madge Manfred talk about land trust issues and conservation in Connecticut on the air. Their host is Mark E. Ramone of Eastern Connecticut campus radio station WECS. Listen to the discussion here: Joshua's Trust online with Mark Ramone.  'Like' us on Facebook Students from Four Towns Join a Bioblitz Students from Mansfield, Coventry, Windham and Sterling joined teachers and natural resource professionals in a bioblitz May 24th. The program is designed to introduce students to natural resource stewardship and foster interest in environmental and ecosystem studies. Follow this link to the announcement in the online newspaper Windham Today: Students participate in a bioblitz on Joshua's Trust Allanach-Wolf Woodlands. To view more photos of the event, click here. Lof Dedication A good crowd of Trust members, neighbors and friends came out to thank John Lof and his family for their efforts over the years, buying property with the intent to preserve it, and making that vision come true. Follow this link to read about the Lof Woodlands dedication. Town of Mansfield Proclamation Allison Burchell-Robinson, accepting proclamation photo by Wally Robinson At the Mansfield Town Council meeting this Monday, April 25, 2011, Major Betsey Paterson issued a proclamation honoring Joshua's Trust for significant achievement. Follow this link to read the full article: Joshua's Trust receives special recognition from Mansfield. Annual Meeting was held April 12 View the president's comments, learn about the honorees, read the annual report newsletter, all posted on this page: Joshua's Trust 45th Annual Meeting Trustees, Class of 2016 At the annual meeting, President Allison Burchell-Robinson announced the appointment of four new trustees whose terms will run until 2016. They are: Scott Matthies, Brent Gottier, Sarah Fusco, and Nancy Silander. The Trust thanks Carol Enright, Marc Lang, Corine Norgaard and Juan Sanchez, Jr.,, whose terms expired this year, for their five years of service as trustees of Joshua's Trust Joshua's Trust Tolland Preserve Featured Online "Some 27 acres of open space along the Skungamaug River in Tolland will be preserved in perpetuity under a new agreement between a local land owner and conservation trust. Follow this link to read the full article: Joshua's Trust will protect 27 acres off Goose Land Joshua's Trust Awarded Accredited Land Trust Status Only 130 land trusts in the US have received accreditation, and only 4 in Connecticut. On February 9th the Land Trust Alliance announced that Joshua's Trust is now one of this select group. National accreditation certifies that the activities of our volunteers and staff meet the highest standards of operation, ensuring permanent protection of the CT land entrusted to Joshua's Trust. Joshua's Trust Featured in Hartford Courant "After protecting thousands of acres across northeastern Connecticut and "patting ourselves on the back," it was time for Joshua's Trust to get serious. It was time for an outside agency to come in and see how the conservation organization was doing." The full article by Peter Marteka is available online at the Hartford Courant website: Joshua's Trust Receives National Accreditation Joshua's Trust Adds To Preserves in Tolland, CT Stewards Review New Tolland property photo by John Pagini The last property our land trust received in 2010 was 27.2 acres of land off Lemek Lane in Tolland, CT. The parcel includes open fields and forested land along the Skunkamaug River. Remembering Birge Dayton Birge Dayton passed away at the age of 80. Many Trust members worked closely with him over the years. Tributes to Birge are posted here. Congress Votes to Extend Easement Tax incentive In the last month of 2010, Congress voted to renew a tax incentive for private landowners, farmers and ranchers who choose to protect their land with a conservation easement. Conservation-minded landowners now have a full year, until December 31, 2011, to take advantage of a significant tax deduction for donating a voluntary conservation agreement to permanently protect important natural or historic resources on their land. As 2011 begins we are very thankful for all that has been accomplished, and we will continue working to preserve what is irreplaceable in our community, with your support! Tolland Approves Sage Meadow Conservation Plan Thursday, October 29, 2010 From the Journal Inquirer The Tolland Conservation Commission has approved a long-term, comprehensive management plan for the Tolland Sage Meadow property. Joshua's Trust holds a conservation easement on the 22 acre parcel. Proposed use of the Tolland property will include activities like hiking, bird-watching, and snow-shoeing. To read the whole story on the Journal Inquirer website, go to the Journal Inquirer Tolland page. Photos from Peter Tork Benefit Concert Follow this link for images of the October 2010 concert: Peter Tork Fundraiser Fall Tag Sale a Success! Thanks to your generosity, the Joshua's Trust tag sale this Saturday raised over twelve hundred dollars. The sale would not have been so successful without all the donors and shoppers who participated.