Conservation Area Made Possible By Community Effort

The Palmer Kendall Mountain Conservation Area officially opened in Tolland Sunday as town officials, members of conservation groups, appreciative residents and three generations of the Palmer family gathered for a ribbon cutting ceremony and a hike along the area’s newly blazed trails.

The efforts of Conserving Tolland, the Tolland Conservation Corps and the town’s Conservation Commission were instrumental in securing the property’s purchase and protection, as were the intentions of the Palmer family, who wanted the land to be preserved in its natural state.

Sharon Palmer-Royston spoke on behalf of the family to the assembly, noting that the land, about 70 acres according to Conserving Tolland founder Roseann Gottier, had been in the family since 1947. The property on Kendall Mountain Road previously served as a pasture for her grandfather’s cows and to grow a few crops, including bush peas.

“You wouldn’t say this is pasture land anymore,” she said of the forested area.

Palmer-Royston also mentioned a few Native American artifacts had been found in the area as well as some of the informal uses the family had made of it since. The Palmers used the land, recently purchased by the town, as a hunting and fishing ground.

“The Palmer family is very proud to be here,” she said.

Palmer-Royston encouraged the attendees to build “their own memories of this land,” to take the conservation efforts seriously and to take pleasure in its use.

She said her mother, Barbara Palmer, was “very delighted” to have the conservation area open for use. Theodore Palmer, Barbara’s husband and father to the six Palmer children, died in 2005. He had expressed his desire to share and preserve the land with his family.

Phil Moreschi, conservation commission chairman, pointed to the dedication of Tolland’s taxpayers to preserving open space and the Palmer family’s “dedication and interest” as driving forces behind the acquisition and opening of the land. He told town residents to take pride in what they had accomplished with conservation efforts and said he was proud to be part of a movement that maintains the character of the town.

Tolland Town Council Vice-Chairwoman MaryAnn Tuttle thanked the three conservation groups and town residents on behalf of the town council.

“We can’t thank them enough for their stewardship,” she said.

She noted that conservation has been a priority for the council during the past few years.

“It’s a real pleasure to be here,” she said.

Roseann Gottier, Conserving Tolland founder, also thanked the Palmer family, the land stewards, conservation groups and the people of Tolland. Her remarks emphasized the point made throughout the ceremony that the opening of the conservation area was a group effort.

Ken Hankinson, head steward of the Tolland Conservation Corps, also thanked a number of contributors before describing the efforts of his group to prepare the land.

“It’s probably the biggest project we’ve took on,” he said, noting the lack of trails and mountain laurel thickets throughout the property.

Hankinson then gathered the crowd to watch the ribbon cutting that ceremonially opened the trail. Barbara Palmer presided over her grandchildren, who collectively cut the ribbon and opened the trail to its first official use: two guided hikes for those in attendance.

The three Tolland conservation groups fill symbiotic roles. Conserving Tolland is a political advocate and awareness group that, among other efforts, helped gain voter turnout and approval for more than $6 million in conservation funds since 2000.

The Tolland Conservation Commission is the municipal governmental body dedicated to conservation efforts, education and land evaluation. The commission creates the land use plans that are executed by the Tolland Conservation Corps, a group of volunteer land stewards that spend long hours maintaining more than 1,000 acres of open space owned by the town.

Allan Palmer, who said he has used the open space for decades, expressed his family’s feelings about the preservation of the area.

“We are very happy it’s going to be maintained the way we grew up on it,” he said.