Plans for Trails at Newman/Poses Nature Preserve

Nearly 38 acres in Westport that were donated and sold to the town in 1997 are due to be named next month in honor of the two families who had owned the land.

On Feb. 2, the Representative Town Meeting  is scheduled to vote on naming the acreage located by Coleytown Road, Easton Road and Bayberry Lane in Westport the "Newman/Poses Nature Preserve." The name is in honor of Paul Newman, the late actor who donated 7.7 acres to the town, and Barbara Poses Kafka and Ernest Kafka, who sold four adjacent parcels totaling 29.9 acres to the town for $3.75 million. The RTM will meet at 8 p.m. Feb. 2 in Westport Town Hall.

Diane Cady, chairwoman of the RTM's Environment Committee, and Hadley Rose, the RTM's moderator, said the request from the Board of Selectmen seemed a fitting tribute to the Newman and Poses families. "It seems to me to be a fairly reasonable thing to do," Rose said.

Cady said she was thrilled that the land will not be developed, but will remain as open space.

Laurence Bradley, Westport's Planning & Zoning director, said the town's Planning & Zoning Commission already approved classifying the 37.6 acres as a dedicated open space and recreation district and that permitted activities and amenities in such a zone include walking paths, gardens, benches, nature preserves, hiking, jogging, cross-country skiing, horseback riding and fishing.

Bradley said the 37.6-acre property is the first to be classified as a dedicated open space and recreation district and that the classification pertains to all of the acreage. "The zone was created specifically as a part of this...The zoning text was adopted and the property was re-zoned to this designation," he said.

David Brant, executive director of the Aspetuck Land Trust, which will improve and maintain the property, said the land had great value and that it includes woods, a meadow, the Aspetuck River and a double-stone wall.

"The value is that it does provide habitat for wildlife, it does provide opportunities for people to get into the woods, and it does provide, certainly, some watershed protection for the river, the Aspetuck River, and, as with all open space, it's beneficial to homeowners because their property values are increased bordering a large open-space area," Brant said. He said the 37.6 acres also provided neighborhood children with a place to explore and play.

The Aspetuck Land Trust plans to create three hiking trails through the property, a small parking area for three or four cars by Bayberry Lane and a boardwalk over wetlands by Bayberry Lane, Brant said. He said Melissa Newman, Paul Newman's daughter, would serve as "trail steward" in identifying the best spots for trails because she grew up next to the property and knows it well.

Brant said the locations for trails would be chosen to highlight natural features of the land. "In some cases, we'll have to cut down a few smaller trees. We really don't cut down big trees," Brant said in reference to how the Aspetuck Land Trust creates trails. "It's a pretty low-impact process. We don't go through with a big tractor and bulldoze trails. Melissa will be trail steward and will identify the trails...She used to walk the land as a child."

The property also includes a pedestrian bridge over the Aspetuck River that is somewhat in disrepair, but Brant said the Aspetuck Land Trust does not have immediate plans to repair the bridge as that would involve discussions with town officials.

Kendall Smith, a Westport resident who is familiar with the property, said he was pleased the land would be named in honor of the Newman and Poses families and that it would remain undeveloped. "I certainly think it's an appropriate name, and I'm certainly in favor of having as much open space as we can," he said.

Linda Gramatky Smith, Kendall's wife, said the property was "just beautiful" and had a brook and "all sorts of wonderful wildflowers there."

RTM member Matthew Mandell said he didn't think it would be difficult for the RTM to name the property in honor of the Newman and Poses families. "Westport is pretty much all developed, and any time we can save a piece of land from future development is a plus. There are more properties in town that need to be saved. It's just going to take some time and effort," he said.

The Aspetuck Land Trust manages 1,700 acres in Westport, Weston, Easton and Fairfield and has 42 advertised trailed nature preserves, Brant said. "This will be a new trailed preserve," he said.
 
For information on the Aspetuck Land Trust, visit www.aspetucklandtrust.org.