OSWEGATCHIE HILLS PRESERVATION ~ SAVE THE OSWEGATCHIE HILLS

Save The River-Save The Hills continues to advocate for the preservation of ALL of the Oswegatchie Hills. 420 acres of The Hills has been preserved to date. STR-STH has supported the Town of East Lyme and The Friends of the Oswegatchie Hills Nature Preserve in this effort. We continue in our legal battle with the developer who owns the last 238 acres - the waterfront of the Hills. This stretch of land is the last unprotected mile of salt waterfront in all of CT.

In our role as "legal intervenors" we have assisted the Town of East Lyme in winning 2 of the 5 court cases the developer has brought vs. the Town. For a detailed look at the case made for preservation, the East Lyme Town Hall has copies of 53 exhibits (letters, reports, etc.) submitted for the zoning hearing.

STR-STH supports the Town's decision to deny the developer's applications and has been raising money and awareness through fundraisers and grassroots events. We will continue this fight until the last acre of the Hills is preserved. And we are not alone.

The Oswegatchie Hills have been part of the Town of East Lyme's plan for open space for over 20 years. The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection has listed it for preservation and actively tried to purchase the land for over four million dollars. The Stewardship Committee of the Long Island Sound Study has placed it on its list of parcels that should be preserved to protect the sound.

Fred Grimsey, Save the River-Save The Hills Founder and President, has been appointed to the Citizens Advisory Committee of the Long Island Sound Study (LISS). He will provide liaison, as needed, for any interested party. As a member of the Stewardship Committee of the LISS he will provide assistance and communication. Fred is also a member of The Niantic River Gateway Commission which was created by the State Legislature to prevent destructive development of Oswegatchie Hills.

Please help us continue the fight by becoming a member or donating to our Legal Defense Fund.

Visit The Friends of the Oswegatchie Hills Nature Preserve web site here.