Avalonia annual appeal

The following comes from the Avalonia annual appeal letter. As the year comes to an end, it's time to remember that your financial support is important to the success of Avalonia Land Conservancy.

Thanks in part to donations, Avalonia is growing in leaps and bounds and most importantly acres. In the past year contributors like you have helped Avalonia conserve 140 additional acres to protect our water sources, provide homes for wildlife, and offer places where we all can enjoy nature for years to come. Contributions during the past 45 years have allowed Avalonia to acquire and protect over 3,400 acres.

This year Avalonia was thrilled to complete the acquisition of Bell Cedar Swamp, described by the CT DEEP as a “rare, intact Atlantic White Cedar swamp listed as a Connecticut Imperiled Natural Community.” Avalonia enlarged the Hoffman Preserve by 53 acres, expanded Billings Brook Preserve by 4 acres, and added 16 acres of protected land to a large greenway in the midst of the Mystic tourist area.

Preserving additional properties, such as Babcock Ridge, is increasingly important, but increasingly challenging. Saving land is just the beginning; when Avalonia commits to protect a property, the commitment is to protect it in perpetuity. Each new acquisition brings stewardship obligations and associated costs. Avalonia has been successful in winning grants, both for acquisition and stewardship, but most grants require matching contributions, either in cash or in volunteer effort. Please help preserve Babcock Ridge with your donation.

Babcock Ridge

In the past year, with generous member support, Avalonia has strengthened conservation partnerships with CT DEEP, USFWS, Connecticut College, Trinity College, The Nature Conservancy, and other groups through collaborative efforts. These organizations offer Avalonia substantial assistance free of charge because they recognize the efforts and commitment that you, Avalonia members and volunteers, bring to Avalonia's mission of conservation. But if Avaolina is to continue to grow, funds will be needed as well as energy and passion.

Avalonia is your land trust. During the upcoming holiday season, take some time to go out and explore the lands that you have helped to preserve. Go alone and enjoy the peace and solitude, or take the family and show them what Mother Nature has to offer and what you have helped to save for them. It is a gift that lasts.

Please give what you can by sending a check to :

Avalonia Land Conservancy, Inc.

P.O. Box 49

Old Mystic, CT 06372

Avalonia is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization and your donation is tax deductible to the extent permissible by law.

Visit the remodeled Avalonia website here.

Photographs by Beth Sullivan and Rick Newton.