By Clark Judge
(October 20, 2022) — Now that Deer Lake has been purchased, its buyer – Pathfinders, Inc. – will thank the community for its generous support with an open house on Sunday, October 30, 2022 at Deer Lake in Killingworth from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The event, which is free and open to all, will celebrate a remarkable grassroots effort that allowed Pathfinders – a nonprofit dedicated to preserving Deer Lake as open space – to buy the 255-acre property for $4.75 million.
The occasion will include food, drink, music, guided hikes, vendors, a silent auction, tea-cup raffle, face painting, hayrides and conservation stations with groups that helped keep Deer Lake from private development. Among those scheduled to appear are:
- Representatives from Save the Sound.
- Fred Monahan from the Housatonic River Fly Fishing Association and Connecticut DEEP Aquatics Resource Education with a fly-fishing demonstration/instruction.
- Representatives from the American Chestnut Foundation.
- Representatives from the DEEP Session Woods Wildlife Management Area, including a Master Wildlife Conservationist.
- Instructors on building a fire without a match.
- Summer camp staff with a session on pond study.
- Instructors for Leave No Trace and how to prepare for day hikes and extended backpacking trips.
- Guides with knowledge of forestry, geology and local history
- Representatives from the Killingworth Land Conservation Trust.
- Music by the Skunk Misery Ramblers, the Madison School of Rock, and Anything Goes!
- Cub Scouts preparing hot dogs and chili.
Pathfinders was able to purchase Deer Lake at a price and on a timetable acceptable to the Boy Scouts through a lightning-fast fundraising drive, and two low-interest loans totaling $1.8 million. Intent on retiring that debt as soon as possible, Pathfinders announced plans to continue its fundraising.
“Without the rapid response of the community,” said Ted Langevin, president of Pathfinders, “we would not have been able to take the crucial first step toward saving Deer Lake. Our next step is to pay off the $1.8 million we had to borrow to complete the purchase, and we will need continued help and support from the community to do so.
“Once we have paid off the loans, we will be able to put a conservation easement on the property to protect Deer Lake from development forever. We are not there yet, but Pathfinders will be working hard on this next phase of our fundraising campaign. We will not rest easy until we have truly saved Deer Lake.”
For more information, please visit savedeerlake.com.
Photos by Clark Judge
