THE CHESTER LAND TRUST

​Chester, Connecticut

info@chesterlandtrust.org

Recent Accomplishments and Work in Progress 
Our recent accomplishments include but are not limited to

1. continued development and maintenance of the half mile hiking trail called “The Little Rock Nine Trail” at the Judge Constance Baker Motley Preserve,
2. improvements in access to the Carini, Scudder, Rayner and Piquet Preserves,
   
3. control of Japanese Knotweed at the Carini Preserve,
   
4. removal of Tree of Heaven from the Scudder and Rayner Preserves,
   
5. control of Multiflora Rose at Rayner Preserve,
   
6. ​removal of dead trees, brush and invasive plants at the Waterhouse Preserve. 
   

We are exploring development of a hiking trail within the 8-acre Pique Preserve since access to it took a major leap forward in 2024. CLT was granted an easement from a neighboring property owner, received many truckloads of material removed during the North Main Street project and benefited from the expertise of Chester resident John Linder in creating this access. 

Major progress has also been made in our invasive plant management efforts at the Carini, Scudder and Rayner Preserves. Our principle invasive plant targets to date have been Japanese Knotweed, Tree of Heaven and Multiflora Rose. 

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Save the Date 
March 30, 2025: CLT and the Chester Conservation Commission will co-host an educational event at the Chester Meeting House on March 30, 2025, starting at 4 PM. Alex Amendola, a CT DEEP Forester, will discuss diseases and insects affecting New England Trees. You may recall that in December 2024, we had to cancel our annual meeting and planned educational event due to bad weather. We are grateful that Mr. Amendola has agreed to give the presentation that was originally planned. Information about Spotted Lanternfly and its love affair with Tree of Heaven will be shared during the presentation. There have already been Spotted Lanternfly sightings in Chester and there’s no shortage of Tree of Heaven clusters in our town. 

April 26, 2025: CLT will continue to host its annual townwide cleanup event in celebration of Earth Day; it is scheduled for April 26 starting at 9 AM. As in previous years, we will utilize the Town-owned parking lot on Water Street as a gathering and information sharing space. 

2025

News

&

Updates

Check out our website (chesterlandtrust.org) to find a map and brief descriptions of our Preserves. While you’re there, look at information on how you can renew or become a CLT Member or Donor.
We need all the help we can get.

Kind regards,
Michael Cressman
CLT President 

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March 2025

It is hard to believe that it has been 5 years since the Covid outbreak erupted in the United States. So much has happened since then. Although Covid held us back, a lot of progress has been made in the Chester Land Trust (CLT) mission to preserve and protect the unique natural resources in our town. Protecting the CLT’s nature preserves and providing safe places for people to enjoy nature are key goals that have and will continue to dominate CLT’s agenda. Here is what’s new and what’s been accomplished over the last few years. 

Changes in CLT Board of Trustees 
Michael Cressman is now the CLT President, Jenny Kitsen is the Vice President, Felise Cressman is the Treasurer and Bill Myers is the Secretary. We were delighted when Carlisle Schaeffer joined our Board in December 2024 and look forward to his efforts and input on behalf of CLT. David Miller has assumed the key role of Stewardship Coordinator from Jenny Kitsen. In his new role, David will be managing our Preserve monitoring and improvement process. We are also pleased that Steve Cline, Fran Curto, Deb Dembo, Marieanne Heft and Pete Yuhasz have agreed to continue their service as Trustee members.