April 28, 2009
Contact:
Elizabeth Maclin (202) 431-2676
Erin Mooney (571) 331-7970
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Demise of the Proposed Yale Farm Golf Course a Win for Connecticut Coldwater Resources
ARLINGTON, VA---After several years of opposition to the proposed Yale Farm Golf Course in Connecticut, Trout Unlimited (TU) supports yesterday’s decision by developers to no longer move forward with plans for the exclusive golf course and development.
The developers cited the country’s eroding economy as the reason for the project’s end.
“One of the few silver linings of the recession is that ecologically destructive projects like Yale Farm are getting weeded out,” said Elizabeth Maclin, TU’s Vice President of Eastern Conservation. “We just hope that the developer now does the responsible thing and sells the property to someone who will conserve this environmental treasure in Connecticut,” said Maclin.
TU has opposed the project, a private golf course that was slated to be built on a 780-acre site in Litchfield County, Connecticut, primarily because of its impact on nearby coldwater streams and wetlands. These resources would be greatly depleted by the 150,000 gallons of water per day that were proposed to be used to keep the golf course lush throughout the season.
The proposed development was slated to cater to an exclusive clientele. In yesterday’s statement, developer Roland Betts and others wrote, “The collapse of America’s economy doomed Yale Farm,” yesterday’s statement read...an investment of $25 million can no longer be justified.”
Trout Unlimited is the nation’s largest coldwater conservation organization, with 140,000 members dedicated to conserving, protecting, and restoring North America’s trout and salmon fisheries and their watersheds.
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Date: 4/28/2009