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Quiet Heroes of New Canaan: Ned Monaghan

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Since 2019, New Canaan’s Ned Monaghan has restored more than 400 feet of historic stone walls at a nature preserve along the Fivemile River. Even creating his own tools to move heavier boulders, Monaghan has worked without fanfare at the New Canaan Land Trust’s Donaldson & Maloney Preserve, according to the nonprofit organization’s executive director, Robin Bates-Mason, who nominated him for this series. Invited by the Monaghan family to see his handiwork, Bates-Mason said she was “amazed by both the scale of what he had accomplished and the dedication behind it.”

“Those who know Ned also know his love of poetry—it’s easy to imagine him reciting a bit of Yeats as he works, stone by stone,” Bates-Mason said in an email. “Just as meaningful, Ned incorporated small openings in the walls to support local wildlife, including weasels he has spotted nearby. The Land Trust is deeply grateful to Ned, who has quietly and independently helped restore these beautiful structures—preserving a tangible link to New England’s past—as well as to the SLOBs and all the volunteers who contribute to this important work.”

Many of the stone walls that Monaghan has restored date to the 18th and even 17th centuries, “when forests were cleared for farmland and stones pulled from the soil were stacked to mark boundaries and contain livestock,” she added.

Around Town

Former Resident Returns 60-Year-Old Plant to Bristow Park

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Most seven-year-old boys like to spend their days inside playing video games; most like to race toy cars and look at picture books. Yet, that wasn’t Ken Booth. While most of his peers were watching superhero TV shows, Booth was becoming somewhat of nature’s “Robin Hood.”

Booth, who graduated from New Canaan High School in 1976, grew up across the street from Bristow Park and spent his childhood traversing the sanctuary’s beauty. He’d go with his family and friends into the park to play games and explore the vegetation. During these adventures, young Booth developed a fascination for plants, especially a flowering plant called a Jack-in-the-Pulpit.

Around Town

Robin Bates-Mason Hired as Executive Director of the New Canaan Land Trust

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One of New Canaan’s most venerable nonprofit organizations has hired a highly respected town resident with a broad range of work and community volunteer experience as its new executive director. Robin Bates-Mason will assume the position of director of the New Canaan Land Trust in mid-June, according to a press release issued by the organization. “Robin brings to the role a deep commitment to community engagement and environmental stewardship, along with experience in nonprofit leadership,” the press release said. “A 25 year resident of New Canaan, along with her husband Carl and two sons, Robin is well known for her service on local boards and initiatives that promote sustainability and civic involvement.”

She is co-founder and president of Planet New Canaan and past co-president and board member of the New Canaan Beautification League who served one term on the Town Council from 2019 to 2023 and currently serves as chair of the Conservation Commission. Bates-Mason also works as volunteer and events manager for Staying Put in New Canaan, from which she will “thoughtfully transition” in these intervening weeks, the press release said

“I’m honored to join the New Canaan Land Trust and am excited to build on the strong foundation that’s been laid by past leaders, volunteers, and supporters,” Bates-Mason said in the release.

New Canaan Land Trust

Fireflies Take Flight: The 2024 Firefly Season Kickoff Event

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Join the New Canaan Land Trust at Colhoun Preserve on Thursday, June 27th, from 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM for drinks, desserts, and a night under the glowing light of the fireflies. The Baked and Sauced Food Truck will be on-site, providing drinks and desserts. Get a tour of the amazing firefly meadow at Colhoun Preserve by NCLT Board and Staff. Dress for the weather and wear good outdoor walking shoes! We look forward to welcoming you, our friends and supporters, to a special night to celebrate the 2024 Firefly Season.

Around Town

New Canaan Land Trust Acquires ‘Grupes Homestead’ on Valley Road

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The New Canaan Land Trust has acquired a long-disused property on upper Valley Road, guaranteeing preservation of an antique structure once slated for demolition and providing a first-ever headquarters for the esteemed local nonprofit organization. 

The acquisition of 1124 Valley Road, final as of April 19, ends years of enmity between the town and 2.23-acre property’s former owner, the First Taxing District of Norwalk. 

The town in 2018 had offered to acquire what was then a full four-acre parcel for $1.2 million. But the Taxing District rejected that offer. After applying for a demolition permit and then withdrawing it, the Taxing District later rejected the town’s offer to purchase just the house with .8 acres carved out around it, for $250,000—a figure New Canaan had arrived at following an appraisal of the property. Then former First Selectman Kevin Moynihan (a retired lawyer who routinely overspent the town’s legal budget) threatened to take it by eminent domain. The property abuts the Grupes Reservoir connects directly to the Browne Preserve, one of the first properties to come under the protection of the Land Trust.