Joshua's Trust now protects over 4,000 acres in northeastern CT! Help us reach 5,000 acres - become a 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 the Trust Office.
More Information >

Welcome


Joshua's Trust is one of the oldest local conservation and historic trusts in the State of Connecticut. A non-profit organization, the Trust is designed to supplement the open space efforts of federal, state, and local governments by receiving gifts of land, conservation easements, and money. It may also purchase tracts of land that it considers especially important to preserve.

Joshua's Trust now owns, or protects by easement, more than 4,000 acres of land preserved for the benefit of future generations, making the trust the fourth largest land trust in Connecticut.

Featured Property:

The 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. The Trust serves an area roughly conterminous with the Windham Region, including the towns of Andover, Ashford, Chaplin, Columbia, Coventry, Hampton, Mansfield, Lebanon, Storrs, Tolland, Willington, Woodstock and Windham.
For More Information, visit Joshua's 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 for future generations. This inspiration is at the heart of our work to permanently protect valuable natural resources. 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.

For More Information about conservation easements, click here.

Volunteer for Joshua's Trust!

Click here to learn what you can do to help conserve and protect open space in our community!

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





Be sure to check out the Joshua's Trust Properties section for details about the properties our land trust is protecting.

Headlines:

  • Trust Member Appointed to Face of Connecticut Steering Committee

    • Roseann Gottier, Trust Land Aquisition committee member and founder of Conserving Tolland, has been appointed to the Face of Connecticut committee. Read the full story.

  • Thank You

    • Joshua's Trust would like to extend heartfelt thanks to all of you who helped make 2009 such a successful year with your volunteer work, gifts of property and financial support. We look forward to making 2010 just as memorable!

  • Lasting Legacy For The Rechlin Family Name

    • This fall, Wolf and Edwina Rechlin made certain their property would retain its pristine character -- lush with stands of red oak, white and black oak, hickory, birch, and larch – intersected by two brooks and a pond, and home to bird species ranging from Baltimore orioles to tanagers,. The plan was to create a lasting legacy that honors the memory of Rechlin’s late father.
    Click here to read the full story..

  • Trust Trail Maps Online

    • The Trust has prepared downloadable trail maps to our preserves which are open to the public. The marking system is explained on this page. The actual maps are available by clicking on this link. You will need Adobe Acrobat to view or print the maps. Happy hiking!

  • Allanach-Wolf Woodlands

    • Windham Center still has the charm of an old New England village, surrounded by sizable, unbroken tracts of land, many of which were formerly farms. One of these large properties, 102.6 acres of largely forested land, was donated to Joshua’s Trust by Ada Wolf in 2007. Continue reading.

  • NU Grant Provides Kiosks

    • A generous grant from Northeast Utilities has underwritten the cost of materials for seven interpretive kiosks at Trust properties. Continue reading.

  • Nature Reading Group

    Beginning again November, 2009: Join our Mansfield Parks/Joshua's Trust Nature Reading Group as we discuss the classics of American environmental literature. We meet on the first Thursday evening of the month, 7:30 pm, at the Mansfield Community Center, November - May. Discussion leaders are Jean Haskell (423-0027) and Madge Manfred. For more information about our group and the reading list, click here.

  • Students Learn Gristmill's Role

    • Classes from Windham Middle School visited the Gurleyville Gristmill recently, learning not only about the historic use of the mill as a center of agricultural activity, but also its present role in conservation. Continue reading.

  • John Lof Donation of 17 Acres

    • John Lof's donation of 17 acres on Willington Hill Road (Rt. 320) in Mansfield may be a seedling for open space in an area that abuts 560 acres of protected land in Willington. The Trust would like to thank Mr. Lof for this gift, which shows both vision and great generosity. Continue reading.

  • Joshua's Trust Earns State Award

    • As we head into the burnished season of fall, it's time to pick and choose from the many events offered by the Last Green Story continues here.

  • Lois E. Clarke donates $30,000

    • The Trust would like to thank Lois E. Clarke for her generous donation of $30.000, which will be used, among other things, to support the existing easement on the beautiful Clarke family farm, located in the center of Columbia. Lois spent her retirement traveling and photographing most of the contiguous states and Canada, and as her gift demonstrates, is committed to the preservation of open space. To read the full story click here.

Trust Reports and Newsletters:




Joshua's Land and Historic Trust is active in the towns and villages of Andover, Ashford, Chaplin, Columbia, Coventry, Franklin, Hampton, Mansfield, Lebanon, Storrs, Tolland, Willington, Woodstock and Windham, Connecticut.