To the Editor:The Bee, a developer acquired a 45-acre parcel of the farm just last month, and has agreed to sell the NFA 30 acres for $600,000 - providing the money is raised quickly... by mid-January.newtownforestassociation.org, or check out Dan Kane's Cherry Grove Farm video on YouTube.

The Newtown Forest Association - Connecticut's oldest private land trust - needs our help if it's to succeed in preserving a significant portion of Cherry Grove Farm, the historic, privately held farm in southwest Newtown that was owned by the Mayer family for nearly a century.

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Committed residents packed NFA offices earlier this week to learn more about the initiative, which will benefit Newtown by enhancing property values, keeping our air cleaner and vistas greener, and providing passive recreation opportunities for all. Those seeking to know more can visit the NFA website,

Better yet, join this weekend's guided property walk (departing from the farmhouse at the intersection of Palestine, Hundred Acres, and Platts Hill Roads at 1 pm, on Saturday, December 16). Take a good look at Cherry Grove Farm's pristine meadows, streams, and forestland - then ask yourself how much preserving them in perpetuity means to you, and to future generations.

Andrea & Jim Ondak

4 White Oak Farm Road, Newtown         December 13, 2017