In 2007, Chris and Virginia Kelly contacted THTLT because they were interested in donating a parcel of land to the Town of Trenton but wanted to ensure the Town always used it for public recreation purposes. By placing a conservation easement on the property before transferring ownership to the Town, the Kelly’s have ensured that their intent of keeping the property undeveloped and available for public recreation will be upheld into the future. THTLT agreed to accept the easement and has just completed the project. The property is 40 acres of forest and wetlands.
The Barge Canal feeder bisects the property and the Town already has a trail along the canal and small picnic area overlooking the spillway into Ninemile Creek. The easement allows for construction of trails, warming huts, observation decks, picnic tables and informational signage. It prohibits subdivision, residential development and commercial timber harvesting, but does allow for removal of trees for safety, fire prevention and disease control. This property is relatively close to the Trenton Greenbelt and efforts are underway, by the Town, to connect the Greenbelt trails to the Barge Canal trail.
