Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust is well known for its educational programs and annual events. Less well-known, but equally important, are Flanders activities as aland trust.

Flanders became one of the first land trusts in the area in 1973 when it received its initial gift of land, the 6.5-acre Manville Kettle in the heart of Woodbury. This parcel was the first land held in trust that was not part of the 200-acre Van Vleck Farm, which has served as the primary site of Flanders Nature Center since 1963.

Today, through ownership and conservation easements, the Flanders Land Trust manages 40 properties totaling 1895 acres in Bethlehem, Middlebury, Southbury, and Woodbury. These holdings, which include the 200-acre Van Vleck Farm Sanctuary on Flanders Road, and the 686-acre Whittemore Sanctuary on Route 64 in Woodbury, will forever be kept as natural open space.

Recreational Opportunities

Flanders' preservation of open space helps to retain ecological habitats and improves the quality of life for all residents. In addition, many Flanders Land Trust properties are open to the public for hiking, nature study, and photography. Larger parcels offer trail systems.

The Flanders Land Trust continues to grow through:

• Donations from individual landowners who want to protect natural resources, wildlife, and natural beauty for future generations
• Acquisition of open space
• Donations from subdivisions as part of town open-space requirements

Donating land to a land trust ensures the donor that the parcel will remain in its natural state forever. It also offers significant tax advantages to the donor. Donating land can often be a helpful tool in estate planning to reduce estate taxes.

The first step in making a gift of land is contacting Flanders' Executive Director, Arthur Milnor, or a Flanders board member. The Flanders Land Trust Committee works closely with potential donors to ensure that the needs of the Land Trust and the donor are mutually met.

Those who are not able to donate land can support the Flanders Land Trust by making a contribution to the Land Trust's Acquisition and Stewardship Fund. This fund defrays the expenses of maintaining Land Trust properties and can also be used to acquire additional properties.

For more information, please contact: Arthur Milnor, Executive Director, at 203-263-3711, ext. 13.