To the Westport Community,
Since 1972, we are honored to have supported the preservation of over 5,000 acres of the best of Westport! Five years ago, we launched a capital campaign to intensify our preservation efforts and it was a tremendous success. WLCT raised over $17 million dollars to protect almost 1,000 acres in that time including the transformation of the St. Vincent de Paul Camp into Westport’s first community park and the permanent protection of the iconic Santos Farm on Main Road. While we are thrilled at the success of the campaign, there is more to be done and the next five years are crucial.
In 2021, WLCT launched an effort to establish a new five-year strategic plan guiding our pace of preservation, creating a plan for sustainable growth, and reaching new heights for connecting people to the land. Westport is a desirable place to live and a boom in real estate development is threatening our special natural resources and farmland. The community has identified the need to conserve working farmland, water resources including streams and brooks leading to the river, and prime habitat. We remain focused on partnering with willing landowners to preserve these key resources.
WLCT’s land preservation efforts have flourished, resulting in over 1,600 acres of WLCT-owned land of which 690 acres have been acquired and opened to the public in the last ten years. We are committed to responsible stewardship of these resources balancing their ecological significance with public enjoyment. Our stewardship program has grown with additional staff, the Tuesday Trail Team volunteer group and a strong financial foundation of endowment support from the campaign. In the next five years, it will be crucial for WLCT to maintain this stewardship program growth as we seek to connect more people to these landscapes.
Recently, WLCT has expanded our programming and opportunities to encourage connection with the land. In 2020, WLCT launched a Land Connection Committee to focus on providing more opportunities to explore and learn about the land. The next five years offer an opportunity to use Westport Woods Conservation Park as a core learning resource for the community and a launching point for these efforts. New partnerships, and a goal to expand programs will be crucial in the next five years as we seek to inspire the next generation of conservationists.
We are excited to serve the Westport community and for the future of WLCT. This strategic plan articulates our goals for the next five years as we strive for continued preservation and a deeper connection to the land. We appreciate your support and encourage you to get out and explore all Westport has to offer!
Sincerely,
Trip Millikin (former WLCT President) & Tina Schmid (WLCT President)
