HVA Recognizes New Milford River Trail Association

Celebrating the official opening of the Young’s Field Riverfront Trail on June 17, the second phase of the New Milford River Trail, HVA Executive Director Lynn Werner presented NMRTA Director Tom O’Brien with a Housatonic RiverBelt Greenway Award.

“I am honored to recognize New Milford River Trail Association for its vision to create a multi-use trail from one end of New Milford to the other – making it the longest stretch of Greenway Trail along the entire River,” said Werner. “It’s wonderful to be a part of this celebration and to witness all that is possible when private citizens; recreation, business and environmental groups; and community leaders come together with one goal in mind – to make the New Milford River Trail dream a reality.”

The award recognizes significant steps towards the larger goal of creating a corridor of accessible public lands along the entire Housatonic River mainstem, linking recreation trails with parks, natural lands, paddling access sites, and village centers along the river’s 149-mile course. The vision is now 40 percent realized through improved land management, protected open space, access sites and trail rights-of-way in the 29 riverfront towns from the Housatonic’s source in the Berkshires to Long Island Sound.

This is the fourth time that HVA has issued this award. Past recipients include:

Town of New Milford and CL&P, for opening the 5-mile River Road Riverwalk in partnership with HVA;

The Kent Land Trust, in 1999, for opening a Riverwalk and picnic area along the Housatonic, through 12 acres of preserved riverside farmland purchased in 1997; and

The Shelton Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) and the Economic Development Commission, recognizing the Shelton Enterprise and Commerce Park, a fourteen-acre riverfront light industrial site in downtown Shelton, which includes a park, farmers’ market, and pedestrian river trail.