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The Chester Land Trust

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Chester Land Trust resumes Japanese Knotweed mitigation program at Carini Preserve


Chester Land Trust (CLT) initiated a Japanese Knotweed (JK) mitigation program at the Carini Preserve in the fall of 2022 and plans to begin planting native grasses and shrubs in selected areas where JK was cut and cleared this winter. Plantings should begin sometime in April 2023. 

The Carini Preserve (entrance at 30 Water Street) is a beautiful 6.5 acre CLT property that lies at the confluence of Great Brook and Pattaconk Brook where they run into Chester Creek. Unfortunately, a serious invasion of JK is present all along the banks of Great Brook and Chester Creek, overtaking native vegetation throughout the property and threatening the structural integrity of the gazebo at the Preserve.

Take a stroll through Carini Preserve (which is easy to access and open to the public). If you visit early in April, you will see numerous reddish JK sprouts emerging. These sprouts will grow 3-5 inches a day later in April. If left uncut, they’ll probably be 3-4 feet high by Earth Day (April 22, 2023)).  Be aware that JK is a highly invasive non-native herbaceous perennial that is notoriously difficult to get rid of. 

Recognizing this difficulty, CLT intends to utilize several JK control methods at Carini Preserve over the course of 3-5 years. During your visit, take a look at the education poster that CLT created and mounted on the back of the sign at the Preserve entrance. It shows what JK looks like in various stages of development and briefly describes methods to control it. 

If you are interested in participating in CLT’s JK mitigation program, contact the Steward of the Carini Preserve at mdcressman@hotmail.com. We are grateful to all of our CLT donors, members and to the Town of Chester, the Community Foundation of Middlesex County and the Rockfall Foundation for providing funds to support this critically important project.​


Photos by Bill Myers


• Mission Statement •

The Chester Land Trust is a volunteer non-profit organization established in 1987. Currently, the Land Trust has 87 gifted or donated preserve acres and an additional 6.7 purchased acres which is the Motley preserve.
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How Land ​is ​Acquired

​​​​​​2022 CLT Properties

Carini Preserve

Scudder Preserve

Burr Brook Preserve

Duck Pond Preserve

Piquet Preserve

Wood Preserve

Chester Creek Preserve

Waterhouse Brook Preserve

Rayner Preserve

Gateway Preserve

Constance Baker Motley Preserve

​Lakeview Avenue Preserve
​The Old Tannery Preserve
Melillo Preserve

​The Pines Easement
Brooks Lane, Liberty Ridge Easement
Bush Conservation Easement




"Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature – the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter."
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 
Rachel Carson

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Chester Land Trust board member volunteers work in partnership with residents and Town officials to identify land that has conservation possibilities, and determine if and how the acquisition of such parcel could benefit both the Town residents and others in the community. ›› more

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Chester, Connecticut