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.
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.
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.
National planning expert Jeff Speck has spent his career studying what makes cities thrive and has boiled it down to one key factor: walkability. From economists, epidemiologists, and environmentalists to preservationists, planners, and parents, all agree that walkable communities are better in just about every way. Speck explains why walking is useful, particularly regarding land-use, zoning, transit, and parking, and then focuses on how, by sharing examples of places where walking is safe, comfortable, and interesting.
The Planning & Zoning Commission on Tuesday approved a special permit for 1124 Valley Road that will enable the New Canaan Land Trust to establish its headquarters in the circa-1750 farmhouse located on the property, which abuts the Grupes Reservoir. The approval of the special permit follows the Land Trust’s purchase of the antique home from the First Taxing District (FTD) of Norwalk, which acts as a municipal water company. The town contributed $150,000 toward the purchase. In terms of acreage, the Land Trust and FTD are two of the largest land owners in New Canaan. Under the terms of the private land deal, 1.82 acres of the four-acre property will be deeded to the Land Trust by FTD.
