A fundraising effort to buy 1,000 acres of shoreline land is nearly complete. The land is called The Preserve, and it spreads across Old Saybrook, Essex, and Westbrook.
"It's one of the last remaining unprotected coastal forests of its kind between New York and Boston," said Alicia Sullivan, the state director for the Trust for Public Land.
She says that, for 20 years, the Preserve has been threatened by development. But public opposition stalled proposals that came forward. Now, Sullivan says the trust is set to buy the land from its current owners. The closing is in February.
"The contract is to buy the land for $8.09 million," Sullivan said. "We are fundraising about $10 million, which would include the purchase price and cost of stewardship and management funds so that we're sure that the land will stay protected forever and also be able to be used by the public from all around the state."
The state has committed nearly $4 million to the project, and Old Saybrook is contributing $3 million. The rest will come from private funds. To that end, the Newman's Own Foundation is matching every dollar contributed up to $150,000. Sullivan says the trust needs another $500,000 to reach its goal.
