angulilla-grande preserve

Anguilla-Grande Preserve encompasses two separate but conjoined land acquisitions totalling 51.64 acres in the Anguilla Brook Streambelt.

The first acquisition consisted of a 33.1 acre parcel located on the west side of North Anguilla Road and was named Anguilla Brook Preserve. It consists of forest and wetlands with more than 1/2 mile of brook frontage on the west side of Anguilla Brook. There's a 24-foot wide access point which is located between 95 and 105 North Anguilla Road. This access widens out to 50 feet and runs more than 700 feet along the south side of Elm Ridge Golf Course to Anguilla Brook. This parcel was acquired from the Town of Stonington on December 31, 2008.

Subsequently, on June 6, 2012, SLT expanded Anguilla Brook Preserve by acquiring an additional 18.54 adjacent acres on the east side of the brook with 640 feet of frontage on North Anguilla Road. It is located on the north, east and west sides of the Pawcatuck Little League Complex and extends north to the original Anguilla Brook Preserve access strip, mentioned above. This land was purchased from the Estate of Carl Grande. Mr. Grande was a noted radio broadcaster in Westerly and New Haven.

Now the combined properties, named Anguilla-Grande Preserve, total 51.64 acres of protected habitat. This is significant, as 50 acres is often recommended as the minimum preserved acreage needed to support woodland bird species. Anguilla-Grande provides diverse habitat from upland forest to wetlands associated with the brook.

With 2,900 feet of brook frontage on the west bank and 1,425 on the east, this preservation protects a significant portion of the Anguilla Brook Streambelt.