Who We Are
Redding Land Trust is an all-volunteer organization with a thirteen-member Board of Trustees that meets 11-12 times a year. Each trustee is assigned ten or so properties that he or she visits at least once a year, ensuring that the land receives the best possible supervision.
The Board of Trustees manage the land trust’s finances in consultation with a professional money management firm. Each year we oversee a fundraising and membership appeal mailed to each Redding resident, as well as an annual meeting for the full membership, a summer fundraiser, and hosted hikes and other events throughout the year.
The Land Trust has published four editions of The Book of Trails, a guide to the more than 60 miles of hiking trails that meander through properties owned by both the land trust and the Town of Redding.
In 2011 the Redding Land Trust underwent a stringent external review of its governance and management policies by the national Land Trust Alliance to become one of the few land trusts nationwide to receive the honor of accreditation through the work of an all-volunteer board.
History
Faced with rapidly increasing residential development to Redding’s south and increased commercialism to the north, economist, writer and local resident Stuart Chase sounded an alarm: “Large holdings are rumored on the verge of development,” he wrote. “The moment of truth has arrived.” People listened and, encouraged by Sam Hill, the first Chairman of Redding’s Conservation Commission, the Redding Land Trust was incorporated in 1965.
It was an idea whose time had come. Within a year of its founding the land trust received a gift of four acres of high woodland on Wayside Lane. Soon after a 51-acre gift was added to the group’s holdings. Other donations followed, and today Redding Land Trust boasts over 2,000 acres of protected land — and counting.
Board of Trustees
In memory of longtime board member Jane Ross
In memory of longtime board member Henry “Buzz” Merritt
Partnerships
Since our founding, our partnership with the Town of Redding has made us unique among our Fairfield County neighbors, as the town’s elected government has always fully supported the conservation mission of the land trust. We provided binder fees in order to hold properties until they could be purchased by the town, endorsed by nearly unanimous town meeting votes. Together, the land trust and the town share the cost of a part-time land manager, John McLeran, who divides his time between the open space holdings of each, improving the overall stewardship of the town’s vast open space.
In addition, the Redding Land Trust has worked in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy, Redding Open Lands, Inc., Aquarian Water Company (formerly Bridgeport Hydraulic), the Redding schools, and the State of Connecticut.
Why does open space matter?
The Redding Land Trust and the Redding Conservation Commission have long prioritized acquiring wetlands and property near watershed to protect the water that percolates into our wells, and to contribute to the clean water in nearby communities
Open space provides important habitats for the diverse wildlife that calls Redding home — from birds to bees, foxes to turtles, as well as the plants and trees that are such a hallmark of our town
It provides a peaceful environment for exercise, reflection and recreation for residents of all ages
The outdoors is a classroom without walls where parents and educators can encourage understanding of our natural world and our place in it
