Stretching to save Connecticut Communities

For Henry Lord, planning for conservation is like surveying a game board: success lies in responding quickly when opportunities arise. As chair of The Trust for Public Land’s Connecticut State Board, Lord is quick to contribute his own time and resources to that effort.

When we had the chance to save the former site of Griswold Airport in Madison, Connecticut, from condominium development, Lord volunteered at phone banks and polling places to help pass the needed local bond measure. In stretching his giving dramatically, he challenged his fellow board members to do the same.

With Lord’s support, Madison permanently protected the site’s salt marshes and coastal forests—a boon both for local park-goers and for the migratory birds that use this stopover on the Atlantic Flyway.

Such timely support is Lord’s hallmark. In addition to backing our critical Connecticut projects, he has contributed generously to national ones—such as the dramatic effort to save Cahuenga Peak, home of the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles. Whether his focus is local or on the opposite coast, Lord is motivated by an appreciation for places that represent “Americana, our history,” and by “a passion for the aesthetic beauty of nature.”

Lord discovered this love for nature while roaming the woods as a child and backpacking in wilderness areas and national parks while attending Colorado Rocky Mountain School in his teens. The Trust for Public Land has proved a natural partner in Lord’s ambition to protect the landscapes that have inspired him for future generations.

“We have a limited amount of time to save open space for Connecticut’s communities,” Lord says. “The only way we can do it is by increasing the number of committed and generous donors who will support TPL ‘s efforts, and by building partnerships with people who are dedicated to conservation. Once the land is gone, we’ve lost it forever.”

Learn how you can help The Trust for Public Land protect places people care about in states like yours.