Press Releases
04/21/2015
Gov. Malloy Announces Donation of Land to Create New State Park Scenic Reserve in Bloomfield
(HARTFORD, CT) - Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced that Connecticut's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has acquired approximately 40-acres of land in Bloomfield that will be preserved for public open space as the Auerfarm State Park Scenic Reserve.
The land - located on Cider Hill Road, off of Auer Farm Road, in Bloomfield - was donated by Elizabeth Schiro, managing member of Apple Orchard LLC and granddaughter of Beatrice Fox Auerbach, co-founder of the G. Fox department store. The property will be preserved with the Auerfarm name in memory of Elizabeth's parents Dorothy, daughter of Beatrice Fox Auerbach, and Bernard Schiro.
"The State of Connecticut extends our deepest gratitude to Elizabeth Schiro and the entire Schiro family. We are honored to accept this generous gift so that the residents of our state can enjoy this beautiful piece of land in perpetuity for years to come," said Governor Malloy. "This land will add great environmental value to the Hartford region and improve recreational accessibility as a new state park scenic reserve."
Schiro grew up on the property and always wanted it to be preserved from development for future enjoyment by others. The donation includes approximately 17 acres of prime and statewide important farmland soils, and offers scenic views of other nearby state parks and the Hartford skyline.
Concerning her parents' desire to protect the property, Schiro said, "Dorothy and Bernard Schiro had two wishes for the hilltop at Auerfarm. The first wish was to preserve this magnificent piece of land. It would have given them great joy to learn that the State of Connecticut and the Connecticut Forest and Park Association also recognized the hill's unique pastoral beauty and spectacular scenic views. Their second wish was that the citizens of Connecticut fully enjoy this nature preserve, visiting it often and in all seasons."
The Auerfarm State Park Scenic Reserve will provide passive recreational opportunities and the potential to connect trails with those on nearby Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) lands and at Talcott Mountain State Park. This will be one of the closest state recreation areas available to Hartford and surrounding communities.
"We sincerely thank the Schiro family for their donation to the residents of Connecticut," said DEEP Commissioner Robert Klee. "With its many recreational opportunities, Auerfarm will be a valuable asset to our growing state parks system. We are excited to open Auerfarm to the public, which will be integral to raising the next generation of environmental and open space stewards."
"I want to thank the Schiro family for their generous gift of Auerfarm State Park Scenic Reserve to the State of Connecticut," said Eric Hammerling, Executive Director of Connecticut Forest and Park Association (CFPA). "The family's decision to entrust CFPA with a conservation easement to protect the natural resources of this property forever is a wise one. We share the Schiro family's connection to the land and applaud the commitment of Governor Malloy and the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to make this new state park a success."
The land was once part of the historic Auerfarm property and today still abuts the 4-H Education Center at Auerfarm, which provides agricultural education to the Greater Hartford region. The new state park scenic reserve was once managed as a working farm, and evidence of past agricultural use is still visible in the enormous trees along the property's boundaries.
The Auerfarm State Park Scenic Reserve includes grasslands, historic apple orchards, and woodlands habitat for a variety of wildlife, including migrating and nesting songbirds, raptors and owls, foxes, deer, and several species of reptiles and insects. Nearby are the Talcott Mountain and Penwood State Parks, and the Metacomet Ridge. This traprock ridgeline hosts the New England National Scenic Trail, a recreational hiking trail maintained by CFPA that extends from Long Island Sound through Massachusetts to the New Hampshire border. The property's proximity to these lands and trails creates opportunities for future trail connections.
In addition to its recreational and habitat resources, the Auerfarm State Park Scenic Reserve provides important water quality benefits to residents. Just west of the property is a stream with several dammed pools, and land and a reservoir owned by the MDC that provides a large portion of the drinking water supply for the Hartford region.
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