Press Release

Date: 03/18/03

CONTACT: Dick Woodward, Eastford  860/974-0133
Ernest A. Wetzel, Woodstock 860/928-0208
Bill Toomey, The Nature Conservancy 860/928-2700

Conservancy Helps Eastford and Woodstock Buy Boy Scout Camp

Working together, the towns of Eastford and Woodstock and The Nature Conservancy are protecting 128 acres in the two towns that had been the Boy Scout's Camp Nahaco.

 The two towns closed on March 3 on the U-shaped tract on the southeast shore of Crystal Pond, purchasing it from Boy Scouts of America Long Rivers Council for $560,000.  Of the total acreage, roughly 50 acres of the land are in Woodstock and 80 acres are in Eastford.

The Boy Scouts, which established Camp Nahaco at the site in the early 1920s, will have continuous use of the camp.  The towns have set aside 14 acres as a jointly-managed recreation area.  This is the first such park to be run jointly by two Connecticut municipalities.  The land has more than 1,100 feet of frontage on the west side of Weeks Road at two separate locations in Woodstock and Eastford.

 The towns of Eastford and Woodstock are sharing equally in all costs related to the purchase.  The towns will own the property and the State of Connecticut's Department of Environmental protection will hold a conservation easement on 114 acres of the property which will be permanently protected and open for passive recreational enjoyment of the town residents.  The Conservancy is contributing $10,000 towards the purchase price of the property and is paying for the two towns' closing costs.  In addition, the Conservancy submitted an application on behalf of the two towns to the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection's Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Program, which is providing $109,200 for the purchase.

"The purchase of Camp Nahaco is a wonderful example of how various groups can work together for the common good," said Woodstock First Selectman Ernest A. Wetzel.  "We have been able to purchase a piece of property for a reasonable price while sharing expenses and providing recreation to all parties involved."

"It's been a long struggle lasting more than a year, and along the way everyone involved had to set aside personal opinions in order to form the partnerships necessary to complete the deal," said Eastford First Selectman Dick Woodward.  "This project represents a major commitment by a small town of modest wealth like Eastford.  As someone recently said, the stars must have been aligned."

A forest stewardship plan, including recommendations for timber management, was prepared for the property by Hull Forest Products.  "In addition to hiking trails and other recreational opportunities this land will offer to the public, the plan will allow us to generate some periodic income, helping offset maintenance costs," said Stephen Broderick, chair of Eastford's Conservation Commission.

 "We are very pleased to work with the towns of Eastford and Woodstock to help protect this valuable property," said Bill Toomey, director of The Nature Conservancy's Quinebaug Highlands Program.  "It will be an asset to both towns in the years ahead, and it also fits in with the Conservancy's goal of working with local communities to protect important conservation land."

CME Engineering of Woodstock generously donated their services to completing the required A-2 survey of the property. "We are very, very happy to be involved in keeping that parcel as open space and available for public recreation," said Brad Cheney of CME Engineering.

The land has more than 3,000 feet of frontage on Crystal Pond.  Halls Brook runs through the Eastford portion of the property for about a half mile and drains into a 2.3-acre pond at the southern end of the property.  These waterways are part of the Natchaug River watershed.  The land is adjacent to about 200 acres of privately owned land permanently protected by a conservation easement.

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