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John Moeling, president of the nonprofit association of volunteers, said, “The presence of these valuable and vulnerable species has been established and recorded by our members on the three sites. By providing a safe and nurturing habitat, we are helping to preserve vital elements of our wildlife heritage.”
The three properties total 24.5 acres, about one-quarter of the total inventory the NLT has preserved in a natural state.
To prioritize the risk to wildlife, the state agency has established three levels —species that are endangered, threatened and of special concern, in order of jeopardy.
One endangered species, the little brown bat, has found refuge on the White Barn property. So have two birds in the threatened category -- the great and snowy egrets -- and two species of special concern, the spotted and Eastern box turtles.
Hoyt Island meanwhile is home to four threatened birds -- the bald eagle, great and snowy egrets and American oystercatcher, and three species of special concern, the yellow-crowned night heron, Savannah sparrow and diamondback terrapin.
Both egrets and both turtles appear on the White Barn parcel and both egrets and the yellow-crowned heron are found on the Farm Creek Preserve.
These 10 species join dozens of other, less threatened wildlife taking refuge on Norwalk Land Trust’s properties; all of whom are especially busy raising offspring in this early part of spring.
To keep up with efforts to protect these and other wildlife, click here.
For more information on the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, click here.
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