Campaign to Save Mather Meadows (CT)
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Protect Our Community Character
The Mather McPherson family has owned the meadows since Deacon Joseph Mather, son of Reverend Moses Mather and a founding father of Darien, built the family homestead in 1778. Deacon Mather's descendant, Stephen T. Mather, founded the National Park Service and as Assistant Secretary of the Interior doubled the national park area in the United States between 1915 and 1929. The Mather Homestead, which faces the meadows from the northwest corner of the intersection, is Darien's only National Historic Landmark, and one of only four in Fairfield County. These meadows have helped define the character of the area for more than 200 years and provide a rural tranquility that is uncommon in our busy suburban town.
As Darien continues to experience rapid growth and development of precious open space, opportunities to protect the community's history and character are increasingly scarce. We must act now so that future generations will be able to experience these scenic meadows as we do today.
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| Mather Homestead, a National Landmark |
The Mather Meadows are two of the last remaining open fields in a highly developed neighborhood of Darien and provide an important natural area for people and animals alike. These fields boast numerous species of birds, butterflies, and other wildlife that are rapidly running out of habitat in Southern Fairfield County. Together with nearby protected land, the meadows will contribute to a corridor where wildlife and plant life will thrive.
| Click to Donate Choose "Mather Meadows" from Specific Projects |
Conservation of this property will also protect frontage along the Goodwives River, a tributary to Long Island Sound, and will create an important greenway. The Meadows serve as a natural buffer, protecting the river from the pollution associated with development. In addition, the land connects two properties already protected by The Land Trust of Darien; its protection will expand an existing buffer for the River and provide a habitat corridor for wildlife and low-impact recreation.
Our Unique Opportunity
Protection of this property has long been a high priority for Darien's conservationists, and we now have an opportunity to protect it permanently. The McPherson family has offered The Land Trust of Darien and the Trust for Public Land an opportunity to purchase the Meadows at a below market price of $3.8 million.
Funding for this project is being sought from several sources, both private and public. We are currently pursuing public funds from both the State of Connecticut and the Town of Darien. However, the majority of the funding - at least $2.8 million - must come from private donations. The Land Trust of Darien has made a lead commitment of over $700,000 in Land Trust funds and pledges from its Board of Trustees. Remaining funds must be secured no later than Fall 2002 or we will lose our chance to permanently protect this historic property.
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Please join us by making a tax-deductible contribution to the Campaign to Save Mather Meadows. The check should be made payable to "The Land Trust of Darien" and sent to P.O. Box 1074, Darien, CT 06820. Or click the link in the box to go to our secure online donation page.
Project Partners
The Land Trust of Darien was incorporated in 1960. Our primary goal is to preserve and protect open space in Darien. Preservation of open space benefits our community by adding to quality-of-life values for the residents of our town, including the preservation of its rural character. The Land Trust currently owns 53 parcels of open space in Darien encompassing a total of 150 acres, including Dunlap Woods and Oldrin Meadows. We currently have over 400 members.
The Land Trust of Darien is a member of the Land Trust Alliance, a national organization supporting the work of over 1,200 conservation groups. We adhere to the Alliance's Standards and Practices, an operational protocol for land trusts. We are also a member of the Nature Conservancy's Land Trust Service Bureau.
The Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving land for people where they live, work, and play. Rather than hold land permanently, TPL acts as a catalyst to bring properties into conservation ownership. We help government agencies and local nonprofit organizations, like The Land Trust of Darien, purchase land by negotiating with landowners, resolving complex real estate and legal issues, providing temporary ownership for threatened properties, identifying funding sources, and mobilizing community support for conservation projects. Since 1972, TPL has protected more than 1.4 million acres nationwide, including nearly 100,000 in New England.
In Connecticut, TPL has worked with many partners to preserve the state's only National Historic Site - the farm of impressionist painter J. Alden Weir; protect nearly 2,000 acres of buffer land around active and potential sources of drinking water; and conserve land along the Mianus River Greenway, including the recent Treetops Estate project in Stamford and Greenwich.
Project Supporters
Supporting organizations of the Campaign to Save Mather Meadows include:
Darien Audubon
Darien Boy Scouts
Darien Chamber of Commerce, Incorporated
The Darien Community Association, Inc.
Darien Environmental Group, Inc.
The Darien Historical Society
Darien Nature Center, Inc.
The Garden Club of Darien
The Land Trust of Darien
The Trust for Public Land
For More Information
Susan Cheswick Brewer, Campaign Co-Chair, (203) 655-4436, susanb@cheswickinvestment.com
Bruce G. Orr, Campaign Co-Chair, (203) 961-9671, eldhorr@aol.com
Lynne Brooks, Executive Director, The Land Trust of Darien, (203) 961-9671, LBLynneBrooks@aol.com
Alicia Betty, Project Manager, The Trust for Public Land, (203) 777-7367, ext. 1, alicia.betty@tpl.org
| Click to Donate Choose "Mather Meadows" from Specific Projects |
FILE ATTACHMENTS:
 Map of Mather Meadows | Mail-in Pledge Donation Form for Mather Meadows |
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