Madison Receives $480,000 State Grant For Hiking Trails, Parking

MADISON, CT - The town of Madison has received a $480,000 grant from the state. The hope is it will be used to upgrade 145 acres of open space in the Dowd Hollow Preserve.

The money would be used to create a new public parking area and new hiking trails linking to RWA’s Genesee Recreation Area and Ironwoods Preserve.

The grant was awarded to the Madison Land Conservation Trust, a private, open-space organization, not the town of Madison.

“We hope the award will help the Trust acquire open space in North Madison but the property is on the open market and no agreement has been reached. There’s a long way to go,” said Ben Diebold, MLC president.

This property abuts land held by the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority (RWA) and lies within the East River Watershed.

Dowd Hollow Brook bisects the property flowing from its headwaters in the RWA’s White Cedar Swamp and eventually discharging into the Long Island Sound.

The parcel hosts numerous habitats including vernal pools, open fields, shrub meadows, forested wetlands, and a cranberry bog.

A large portion of the property lies within a Natural Diversity Database Area. Acquisition of this property will protect one of the largest forested tracts in southern Connecticut.

The Madison grant is part of the State of Connecticut awarding $9.1 million to support grants for 24 communities in the purchase of 2,466 acres of land that will be designated as open space.

The grants are authorized under the state’s Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Program, which is administered by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and assists local governments, land trusts, and water companies in purchasing land to protect open space.

The program is intended to protect wildlife habitats, offer recreational opportunities, and serve as a buffer and adaptation to climate change. Recipient projects are required to supplement the state funding with matching funds or other grants, and the land being purchased must be protected by a conservation and public recreation easement that will ensure the property is forever protected for public use and enjoyment.

“Open space is vital to environmental protection and a bright economic future for our state,” Lamont said. “This program is an important component of preserving some of our state’s best and most beautiful land, and by partnering with our municipalities and nonprofits we can ensure that these valuable resources are preserved in perpetuity for generations to come.”

“Governor Lamont’s administration has prioritized initiatives that mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change, while ensuring that DEEP implements policies that better preserve our air, water, and natural resources,” DEEP Commissioner Katie S. Dykes said. “This open space grant round represents an important investment and continued partnership with land trusts, our towns and cities, water companies, and conservation-minded citizens in preserving open space that makes progress toward climate response and provides greater opportunities for people to connect to our natural lands.”

Today’s projects bring the total land in Connecticut designated as state or local open space to 500,000 acres – approximately two-thirds of the way toward the state’s goal of having 673,210 acres designated as open space.