Groton Open Space Association's dedicated, hard-working and environmentally savvy volunteers deserve support and thanks for ensuring that many hundreds of acres of the most beautiful and ecologically significant landscapes in southeastern Connecticut remain in natural states.

From the stunning shoreline meadows, forests and sparkling Palmer Cove views at the Haley Farm to the lush mountain laurel stands, bogs and diverse wildlife habitat at Candlewood Ridge, the association has a 47-year history of successful land preservation and stewardship. The organization's work provides both environmental benefits and a variety of types of public recreation space. Besides Haley Farm and Candlewood Ridge, the trails and vistas at the Merritt Family Forest and the Hazelnut Hill Road Sheep Farm are enjoyed by thousands for hiking, biking, bird watching, nature study, snowshoeing and other activities.

Many more people trail ride, paddle, sunbathe, picnic, fish and wade at Bluff Point State Park, which was preserved in part due to the efforts of the Open Space Association.

Such a track record is, in part, why we now urge the public's support of the association's current effort: to raise the final $300,000 it needs to purchase and preserve the stunning and environmentally diverse Avery Farm that sprawls off Lambtown Road in both Groton and Ledyard.

Besides the association's record, however, the farm is deserving of support because of its unique qualities. The land supports numerous birds, plants, fish, reptiles, amphibians and mammals, some of which are becoming scarce in the state. Just one of these is the New England cottontail rabbit, whose preferred habitat of brushy undergrowth and thickets has been disappearing from the Connecticut landscape.

As for birds, some 168 species have been spotted on the property, including endangered blue-winged warblers, common nighthawks and sedge wrens.

The farm also is strategically located. Its preservation will form a contiguous greenbelt of more than 400 acres from Route 184 in Groton and extending north into Ledyard.

The Weber family, descendents of Latham Avery, who bought the land and began farming there in 1929, decided a year ago that the environmental significance of their land deserved to be perpetually preserved for the public's passive recreational enjoyment. They donated 146 acres and offered to sell another 152 acres to the Groton Open Space Association. This fall the state granted $611,000 toward the purchase through an Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition grant.

In announcing the grant for the Avery Farm and other open-space acquisitions, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy well stated the importance of these purchases.

"Preservation projects such as these are fundamental to maintaining our high quality of life, protecting the immense natural beauty of our state, and making Connecticut a great place to live, work and raise a family," said the governor back in October.

Association members say they hope to finalize the purchase in 2015, paving the way to begin the work needed to open up trails and pathways for the public's enjoyment. To ensure future generations will be able to marvel at the explosions of pink laurel, the scampering rabbits and the graceful birds and to soak in a varied landscape ranging from rocky ridges to marshes to rolling meadows, financial support is crucial now.