In the last two years, many nonprofit organizations in town have celebrated anniversary milestones. In 2020, the Cossitt Library celebrated its 130th anniversary, the Salmon Brook Historical Society celebrated its 75th, and the Granby Drummer celebrated its 50th. This year, the Granby Land Trust celebrates its 50th anniversary, for which we congratulate them.
The Granby Land Trust is a nonprofit that seeks to protect Granby’s natural heritage through the conservation of natural spaces, wildlife habitats, and agricultural land. This is achieved through land acquisition, land stewardship, partnerships with other organizations and advocacy for environmentalism and conservation.
In light of this milestone, I spoke to Dave Russell, one of the original founders of the Granby Land Trust and who was active in many other civic organizations. He has a passion and love for this town, shown through his service.
When asked how the Granby Land Trust has been so successful for all these years, Russell said that Granby residents and their care for the land and the environment has been the driving force. Through donations from residents, the Granby Land Trust has been able to acquire and preserve land. In return, townspeople benefit from being able to enjoy the untouched nature, clean streams and pond, hiking trails, and open fields for farmland. As its mission statement reads, “The Granby Land Trust was created to promote the preservation of natural resources, environmental education and to protect land in perpetuity for the benefit of the general public.”
Russell also gave credit to many people within the organization for its success but noted that Bill Pease and Put Brown dedicated themselves to creating the charter and by-laws to create a Board of Directors in 1972. From there, the Granby Land Trust acquired two properties that demonstrated its growth: the donation of the Stanley Dimock property in West Granby and the Mary Edwards Mountain Property in North Granby.
By 1986, the GLT had acquired 282 acres of land. Today, that number has grown significantly. GLT currently owns 2,113 acres of land and holds conservation easements on an additional 794 acres. Those acres include hiking and walking trails open to the public, farmland that is leased to local farmers and wildlife preserves.
Congratulations to the Granby Last Trust for its 50th year! With fall upon us, visit granbylandtrust.org to find a trail to hike or an upcoming event to attend.
To find out more about the history of the Granby Land Trust, or more about Granby history, join the Salmon Brook Historical Society by calling 860-653-9713, or by visiting salmonbrookhistoricalsociety.com