Lyme — One of the most intact freshwater tidal marshes on the lower Connecticut River is now part of the vast Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, thanks to the recent acquisition of 26 acres along Whalebone Cove through a joint effort of The Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

The addition of the lands around Whalebone Cove, an area of meandering marshes lush with wild rice that is an important food for migratory birds, is significant for the entire lower Connecticut River area and nearby conserved lands at Chapman Pond, Selden Island and Selden Creek, said Nathan Frohling, director of Connecticut coastal and marine initiatives for the conservancy, on Wednesday. Freshwater tidal marshes are a relatively rare type of habitat, "and this is one of the least disturbed" in all of New England, he said.

"We're very excited about this," said Frohling, adding that negotiations toward the purchase had been in the works for three years.

"If this property had been developed, it would have dramatically changed the whole area of the Connecticut River shoreline."

The 26-acre parcel was purchased for $1.8 million from Sylvia Erhart, and adds to 40 acres of conservancy-owned parcels on the cove already in conservation. The conservancy made option payments to the owner over 2½ years as the Fish & Wildlife Service obtained funding for the purchase. The funding for the purchase came from the federal Land and Conservation Fund which receives its money from the sales of mining and offshore oil leases.

The conservancy is now turning the entire 66 acres over to the service to be added to the Conte wildlife refuge, which includes more than 7 million acres of Connecticut River watershed lands in four states.

The 26-acre parcel includes 2,000 feet of Connecticut River frontage.

It is the third recent addition to the refuge in Connecticut. Over the past two years, the refuge has added 38 acres on the Salmon River in Haddam and 56 acres in Old Lyme formerly owned by Roger Tory Peterson, artist and author of the "Field Guides" series.

Located just south of Gillette Castle State Park, the cove and surrounding protected lands are comprised of several types of habitats — steep wooded slopes, upland kettle-hole wetlands, floodplain forests, upland meadows and mature forests.

The freshwater tidal marsh, an area that attracts paddlers and bird-watchers, is fed by Whalebone Creek, Hungerford Brook and Hemlock Valley Brook flowing into the Connecticut River. With the new acquisition, 80 percent of the important lands around the cove are protected, Frohling said.

"This means than an area that people already know and love will be enhanced," he said.

j.benson@theday.com