Farmington Land Trust Honors Bill Wadsworth and Joyce Godin at Annual Meeting

State Rep. Bill Wadsworth and Farmington resident Joyce Godin received the Farmington Land Trust’s inaugural awards at its Honors Banquet last night at The Farmington Club. The Farmington Land Trust is a nonprofit organization whose mission is “to acquire and protect open space in perpetuity for public enjoyment and as habitat.”

This is the first time in its 40 year history that the Farmington Land Trust has made such awards. 

Wadsworth received the Citizen of the Year award, created to recognize a Farmington resident’s commitment and contribution to the preservation of open space in the town.

Godin received the Steward of the Year award, created to recognize a Farmington Land Trust steward’s service to the trust.

“The honorees are particularly significant as they set the standard by which future recipients will be judged,” said land trust President Joe Treggor. “We are pleased to honor two people of such high caliber.”

Treggor cited Wadsworth’s “deep sensitivity to the land. No one has been more involved with land preservation in Farmington. He has been responsible for the acquisition of much of the open space in town.”

Wadsworth has been a member of the Farmington Land Trust for many years and serves as a steward for the William S. Wadsworth Memorial parcel, which contains Will Warren’s Den, one of Farmington’s most colorful historic sites. Legend has it that in the 17th century, Will Warren hid in the caves after he tried to burn down the village of Farmington in retribution for being flogged for missing church.

“People traveling into Farmington will notice the small barn on the opposite side of Route 4 from the Hill-Stead Museum. Known as the Carey Pasture Run-In Barn, it may have been one of the first places in Connecticut to house Guernsey cows, over 100 years ago. Last year, the [land trust] undertook an important and successful preservation project to restore the barn, which was funded through a grant for the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving and for which Mr. Wadsworth served as the general contractor,” explained Treggor. “He got the team together and moved the project along.”

Wadsworth thanked the land trust for the award and gave them an update.

“In my new role as your state representative, I have introduced a piece of property on Goodrich Road for conveyance to Farmington and introduced and co-sponsored legislation that would include municipalities, quasi-public agencies and certain special districts as owners of land entitled to immunity under the Recreational Land Use Act.”

Godin was recognized for being “the guiding force behind a restructuring of the Farmington Land Trust stewardship program and improving steward parcel management. She has taken a lead role in reorganizing and codifying the stewards and the land trust properties,” Treggor stated. “She rolls up her sleeves and gets involved, whether it’s pulling up invasives, varnishing signs or painting barns – if it needs to be done, Joyce will do it!”

The land trust has 61 properties, most of them gifted by donors, and each parcel is assigned a land steward who is responsible for maintaining and overseeing the parcel, making sure the land remains as it was intended.

Two additional parcels were donated to the land trust holdings this year, Prattling Pond, which adjoins the Metacomet Trail, and Anderson Ridge, which includes a lookout on the trail.

Incoming President Angham Zakko was introduced. “We had a great year,” she exclaimed. “I am looking forward to even more community outreach, more educational programs and events and to working together to implement a conservation vision for Farmington.”

“We are always looking for new members,” Zakko added. The membership form is available online, or by calling 860-674-8545.   

The evening concluded with a presentation by DEP biologist Andrew LaBonte on the status of moose in Connecticut.