NFA Intern Catalogs 1,200 Acres Of Preserved Open Space

By Dottie Evans

When Steven Truitt, 19, first walked into the office at Newtown Forest Association (NFA) headquarters to see how the land trust had organized information regarding its 54 properties comprising more than 1,200 acres, he was surprised.

“It was like walking into an old-time public library where everything is still on index cards,” Steve said.

“But I was impressed at how well they had been kept up,” he said, referring to the boxes of 3 by 5 index cards bearing information on every NFA property since donation of the 15-acre Town Forest in 1924, the year that the private, nonprofit land trust was formed.

“Now my job is to organize it –– put all that information into the computer for easier access,” he added.

Not only will he be entering the location, acreage, date of donation, special features, and history for each property, he’ll be going to the town clerk’s office to photograph the deeds, then scan them into the NFA computer system so board members can access them “at the click of a finger.”

When he signed up as a summer intern at the suggestion of NFA board member Tim Northrop, a former Sandy Hook neighbor, Steve expected he might be spending his days walking the properties or doing field work. Instead, he has been holed up at NFA headquarters in a small office inside a brick building atop Holcombe Hill, “because that’s where they need me.”

The office building is one of several structures included when the 86-acre hilltop property on Great Hill Road in the Taunton area was willed to the land trust in 1997 at the death of Josephine Holcombe.

“The view out my office window isn’t half bad. It’s the highest point in Newtown, and I can see forever,” Steve said, adding when he needs exercise, he steps out the door and walks the trails.

 

From Diving To Aeronautics

Steven Truitt is entering his sophomore year at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va., and hopes someday to be an aeronautical engineer. He wants to design spaceships for an aerospace company like Lockheed Martin.

Actually, he wouldn’t mind riding in one of those space ships as an astronaut.

“I’d go in a minute. I’ve always wanted to explore space,” Steve said.

He was born in Ohio and “moved around a lot,” he said, before coming to Newtown in the sixth grade. At Newtown High School he was a captain of the swim team specializing in diving and freestyle, and he graduated with the Class of 2004.

Steve may not have the use of a car this summer (“I have to walk a lot”) but he manages to get to where he needs to go. And the idea of launching himself into thin air –– as a diver or an astronaut –– has a definite appeal. Digging into a project as big as digitizing the outdated NFA filing system and visiting the town clerk’s office to pore over the land records is a project he welcomes, possibly because he sees the value in what he is doing –– helping NFA preserve open land.

“People don’t realize what that means. NFA is the oldest land trust in Connecticut. Its properties have been legally donated by people, and it would be legally impossible for NFA to turn around and sell them at a later date.

“You have to realize, open land that is owned by the town –– such as Fairfield Hills or the town parks or schools –– that land is not permanently preserved or set aside. Its use can be changed, and it can be developed. You never know what the future might hold. With a private land trust, it would be illegal to do that,” Steve said.

To find out more about NFA properties, hike the trails, or become a member, access website: newtownforestassociation.org.