Bushley House Donated to Farmington Land Trust

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Bushley House Donated to Farmington Land Trust CONTACT: Tina Delaney, Ex. Director, Farmington Land Trust, Ph. 860-643-8545, E-mail: ed.farmingtonlandtrust@gmail.com

Farmington, CT, December 30, 2013 – Today marks an historic day for the Farmington Land Trust, after Mary Bushley and Ruth Bushley Childs donated their family farmhouse on Coppermine Road in Unionville to the Farmington Land Trust, with the vision of having the farmhouse serve as its future headquarters.  The donation will be known as the Wilcox-Bushley Conservation Center.  The sisters previously donated the West District Nature Preserve in 1995, which forever preserved 24 acres of land rich with diverse plant and animal habitat, and ensured that future generations of Farmington residents will have open space in town.  Doug Pelham, president of the Land Trust, said “We are extremely grateful for the generosity and vision of the Bushley sisters, who have helped the Farmington Land Trust secure a permanent place in town.  The donation of the farmhouse, which abuts the West District Nature Preserve, allows us to establish our offices and a visitor’s center on Land Trust property, next to one of our most valuable assets.”

Mary Bushley will enjoy the use of the farmhouse for as long as she wishes, which will give the Land Trust time to plan and execute a capital campaign to raise the funds that will be needed to renovate and modernize the house.  “The Land Trust plans on turning the house into our offices, but we also want to preserve the historic character of the house to showcase the way life used to be when Farmington was just that – a farming community,” said Tina Delaney, Executive Director.  “Our vision is one of respect for the history of the land as well as respect for the land.”

The Farmington Land Trust recently completed a ten-year strategic planning effort with the help of Carolyn Hughes of Intent Design Group, through a grant from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.  One of the key elements was to identify a parcel of land on which the Land Trust could have its offices, a goal that was reached today.  The strategic plan also calls for modernization of recordkeeping, diversifying funding sources, and adopting best management practices, among other worthy goals.  Copies of the plan can be obtained by calling the Land Trust office.

CONTACT: Tina Delaney, Ph. 860-643-8545, E-mail: ed.farmingtonlandtrust@gmail.com

Farmington Land Trust, 128 Garden Street, Farmington, CT 06032

The mission of the Farmington Land Trust is to protect open space in perpetuity through acquisition, stewardship, education and advocacy. Founded in 1971, the Farmington Land Trust, Inc. is a private, non-profit membership organization, tax exempt under section 501 (c) (3) of federal law. 

The Land Trust’s support comes from those citizens dedicated to the preservation of open space. Thanks to the generosity of its donors and their wish to protect our open space, the Land Trust now stewards nearly 300 acres of fields, forests, scenic vistas, historic sites and wildlife habitat from development. This land will remain as open space forever, enriching the quality of life for Farmington residents for generations to come.

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