Wyndham Land Trust adds 360 acres to Pomfret Forest Preserve

The Wyndham Land Trust has acquired a 360-acre parcel of land in Pomfret. This purchase expands the existing Nightingale Forest preserve to 1,600 acres of unbroken forested land.

The property was held by the Saunders family for nearly 90 years. It will now be known as the Laurelwood Preserve, functioning as a section of the larger Nightingale Forest Preserve. The acreage provides a wildlife corridor between the existing Townshend and DiIorio sections of the forest.

Augustus Saunders, an executive at the Nicholson File Company in Rhode Island, originally purchased the property around 1940 with his son, Lloyd. Lloyd Saunders later constructed a kit log cabin on the site named Laurelwood.

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“My two sons and I had the same vision: save the property from development,” said Claudia Abbott, who grew up on the property and moved back 25 years ago with her husband, Bill Abbott. “Any land that goes up for sale these days gets a house put on it, or as many houses as the zoning allows. We didn’t want to see that.”

To facilitate the transfer while maintaining privacy, the family redrew the property lines. They created a distinct lot that retains their home, Nightingale Pond, and a protective border around the water. The remaining acreage was transferred directly to the land trust.

Land Trust land manager Andy Rzeznikiewicz initiated informal conversations with the family years ago. He noted that the parcel consists entirely of woodland, which is critical for forest interior nesting birds facing habitat loss in Connecticut. These bird species require large, unfragmented tracts of forest to breed.

The property also contains wetlands and is traversed by two streams, Angel Brook and Nightingale Brook. Discussions turned serious in the summer of 2024 once Rzeznikiewicz outlined a protection pathway.

The transaction was financed through multiple sources, including an Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition grant from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Additional funding came from individual member donations and grants from the Bafflin and Summerhill Foundations. The grant application and acquisition process took two years to complete.

“When I drive to the property, I have tears of joy knowing that this beautiful area will remain in its natural state,” Abbott said. “It’s such a relief.”

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Wyndham Land Trust adds 360 acres to Pomfret Forest Preserve