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Shelton Land Trust

The Shelton Land Conservation Trust is a private organization often confused with the Conservation Commission.  The Land Trust owns 364 acres of private open space that is open to the public, including several trails and a youth camp.

Links


Hope Lake
Land Trust Meadow
Rec Path
Housatonic River
Jones Farm

WELCOME

The Shelton Conservation Commission endeavors to balance Shelton's rapid growth with quality open space, recreational opportunities, preservation of scenic and historic resources, and a healthy environment.

What's New

The Pearl Bach Open Space in Pine Rock Park has been reclaimed from summer crowds cutting through the land to access Stratford's Park Mill River Park. An 8-foot fence was installed along the back of the property.  Read more.

Trail map for your phone: In addition to our traditional trail maps, we now have all thirty miles of Shelton's hiking trails entered into a single custom Google Map, which can be used to geolocate your position along the trails or to navigate to the parking areas.

Proposed developments: Wondering about whether Conservation is weighing in on a proposed development? We have a new webpage for that.   Please note that the Conservation Commission is advisory only. Land use decisions are made by the Planning and Zoning Commission and Inland Wetlands Commission.

Read our Natural Resources Inventory for the proposed "Town Center at Shelter Ridge" development. The 121-acre property is located along Bridgeport Ave, Mill Street, and Buddington Road.  This west side of a ridge that crosses the property contains high-value community resources that Conservation has made efforts to preserve beginning in the early 1990s. A viable preserved greenway corridor would allow for the extention of the Paugussett Trail.

Bear sightings in Shelton increased significantly in 2020, and are expected to continue increasing ***PLEASE REMOVE BIRD FEEDERS between March and November***, and eliminate other potential food sources around homes, such as unsecured garbage or pet food. Read more about bears in Shelton HERE.

The Shelton Deer Committee finalized their report to the Board of Aldermen on Feb. 10, 2015 recommending bowhunting on suitable open space properties. It's up to BOA to determine whether the City will follow the recommendations listed in the report. More information is on the Deer Committee's webpage.

A Position Statement on the Use of PDDs was adopted by the Conservation Commission on Dec. 3, 2014 (click to view).

Public letters from the Commission are now being uploaded to a Dropbox folder for easier access.  Most letters pertain to proposed developments and are read into the public record by the Planning and Zoning and Inland Wetlands Commissions. 

The Open Space layer on the City's GIS system has been updated as of October 2014.  Click here to view (3 mb pdf file).

The Paugussett Trail (aka "Blue Dot Trail") has been officially extended from Indian Well State Park to Buddington Road, and is now shown on CFPA's interactive map of the state Blue-Blazed Trail System. See this Trails Committee blogpost for more information. 12/2013

We've received CLCC's 2013 "Excellence in Conservation" Award for the Shelton Lakes Recreation Path and Greenway, which was completed in 2012 after twenty years of effort, with broad support from the community and its leaders.  Thank you!  Here's the nomination submission that describes the project.

Community Service: We have year-round opportunities for volunteer work if you are willing to work outdoors. See here for more details.

Mile-A-Minute Vine, or "Kudzu of the North," was found in Monroe and Newtown in 2008. It was found in 5 Newtown locations in 2009 adn 2010. We are asking residents to watch out for the vine, which can grow up to six inches per day, and report any sightings.  Leaves are triangular with straight edges, and the stem has tiny barbs.  Any vines must be removed as soon as possible to prevent spreading. Please see www.madgardeners.com for information about this invasive species and how to report it.