Nearly 200 members of Joshua’s Trust enjoyed an evening of camaraderie, good food, music, a movie, a silent auction, a tour of the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp and an informative butterfly presentation during the 42nd Annual Meeting on April 17. The event was packed with members who came for the fun and also to honor the many people who have made this volunteer land trust such a success story.

Joshua’s Tract Conservation and Historic Trust is the largest volunteer land trust in Connecticut. The 3,700 acres in ownership and easements are in the towns of Mansfield, Ashford, Willington , Tolland, Columbia, Coventry, Lebanon , Franklin, Chaplin, Hampton, Scotland, Windham and Eastford.

More than 140 of the 600-plus members are active in doing work for the Trust. The evening was not long enough to honor them all, but several awards were given, among them the individual conservation award given to Don Cianci, who has used his office as first selectman in Columbia to promote land conservation . The group award was given to the Office of Environmental Protection and the Environmental Protection Advisory Council at UConn. The award was accepted by Rich Miller on behalf of the agencies’ work in land and water conservation , protection of wildlife, innovative plans for roof gardens and greater accommodation for cyclists on campus.

Warren Church, president of the Trust, gave a report on the acquisitions of the past year. “It was a banner year for easements, with a total of 531 acres being protected in six separate towns,” he said. There were also two parcels given to the Trust, one as the open space in a subdivision along the Natchaug River, and a 12.4-acre piece adjacent to the Wolf Rock property given by George and Ann Bailey of Mansfield

The seven easements range from being closed to the public to open access. The Church- Zaring property on Route 89 in Ashford adds 42 acres to the 191 acres which were previously given to the Trust. The public is welcome to enjoy this property.

On a recent walk along the Natchaug River property, Church explained the beauty of an easement. “It is a benefit to the owner. He continues to own the land, use it, can sell it, but gives up his right to sub-divide it. The greater good is it preserves open space and wildlife habitat,” he said. “Easements are also a source of enjoyment to neighbors and to people who are just driving by. They can enjoy the rural landscape,” he added.

While it was difficult to do everything offered at this very popular annual dinner meeting organized by VP Mona Anderson , some people certainly tried. Those who took the tour of the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp had an opportunity to see the tree house where Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward entertained dinner guests at $35,000 a person to benefit the camp.

A 14-minute movie made by Trust member John Meyer was shown early in the evening and again at the end. “It was beautifully done. Lots of shots of Trust properties, changing seasons, the flood of ’05 was included. It showed the power and the serenity of nature. The shot of the pileated woodpecker feeding her babies was fabulous,” Adele Swart said.

The guest speaker for the meeting was Jane O’Donnell , co-author of the recently published Connecticut Butterfly Atlas . She is also manager of the Scientific Collections in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UConn.