Lyme — Nine of Henry Selden Johnston's youngest descendants gathered with parents and grandparents at the trailhead of their namesake preserve this week to dedicate a 250-acre swath of open space that advocates say will live on for generations.

The Johnston Preserve along Route 82 brings open space in Lyme to almost 13,000 acres, according to resident forest ecologist Tony Irving. That's more than 50% of land within the town's borders that is permanently protected from development.

Jolie Ouattara, the eldest of the great-great grandchildren at Wednesday's dedication, walked a portion of the 3.5-mile trail with her family and members of the local open space community. The rising high school senior described the forest as "gorgeous," pointing to a dramatic ledge outcropping as one of the geological features that make the remote area so different from her Jacksonville, Fla., home.

"But having family here, that's the best part," she said. "Having us all together."

Kids included, there were 17 members of the Johnston clan converging in Lyme to celebrate the preserve. While trails and a parking area were completed last year, the pandemic forced the postponement of the official dedication.

It's forest now, but it was pastureland back in the early 1900s, when Henry, a New York lawyer, began to buy up the land piece by piece over an eight-year span. He let the trees take over as his family expanded, successive generations consigned to the earth in nearby Selden Cemetery. It was almost a century later when his grandson, David Johnston, sold the property to the town for $1.45 million.

Funding for the purchase came from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the town's open space reserve fund and the nonprofit Nature Conservancy.

David Johnston addressed the small crowd at Wednesday morning's ceremony to describe his late father, Philip Johnston, as the link between the past and present. He said Philip was an avid outdoorsman and the inspiration behind the family's focus on open space.

The family has sold or donated parcels of open space in areas spanning Old Lyme's Great Island to Chapman's Pond in East Haddam, according to Johnston.

"This is a significant day for us, because if our father was alive, he'd be 108 today," he said.

David was joined by his sister, Barbara. He said their brother Christopher is buried in the family cemetery with Philip and their ancestors, and "the best part of this is we can come visit them and then we can take a hike in the woods."

Christopher Johnston's grandson, 11-year-old Oliver Adler, was with a raucous group of his younger cousins wielding sticks as they trekked into the forest following the dedication ceremony. He said it was his first time on the trail.

"It's refreshing to be around all the trees and wildlife," he said.

His mother, Emily Selden Adler, agreed it was nice to be surrounded by the vibrant green that covered the forest floor and extended skyward on the leaves of trees. She said it's a different world from their Wykoff, N.J., home on the outskirts of New York City.

"I think it's an amazing gift to our children and our children's children, and for people from all over the community to be able to have an escape into the environment," she said.

First Selectman Steve Mattson referred to the preserve as "the cornerstone" of Lyme's River to Ridgetop complex of six preserves comprising more than 1,500 acres of contiguous land. The complex extends from Route 82 to the vicinity of Hamburg Cove.

"This piece fits exquisitely into the green belt that we are trying to develop in town and across the region," Mattson said.

Irving, the forest ecologist, said the rugged Johnston Preserve includes vernal pools, a small canyon and steep outcroppings. A deep ravine creates a drainage way for the wetlands to the Eightmile River. The town's highest point rises from the preserve to 465 feet above sea level.

"Once you get over that high point going south, it's like you're in another world," he said. "You're in the deep woods. Every hundred yards you go, there's something different going on."

It took him about 75 hours to lay out the trail through what he described as his favorite out of all Lyme's preserves.

"I think people find that place very basic, simply because of its quietness and solitude and also because of the great diversity you get as you're walking through it," he said.

The Johnston Preserve at its dedication also was inaugurated as the Old-Growth Forest Network's 139th forest and its third in Connecticut. The national nonprofit group is committed to preserving at least one forest in every county in the United States that can sustain a forest, which it estimates to be 2,370 out of 3,140 counties.

Sarah RobbGrieco, northeast regional manager, said the group searches for each county's "highest quality" forest to help ensure it remains protected from logging and open to the public.

The organization identified the Johnston Preserve as being in the 100-year-old range, with a diverse array of tree species and plants at different stages of maturity that have been largely undisturbed. It features a type of lichen that isn't found anywhere else in Connecticut, according to county coordinator Gary Gregory.

RobbGrieco said the Old-Growth Forest Network's volunteers like Gregory scour the country for "that magical quality that forests have when they've not been overly touched by human hands."

She pointed to the youngest members of the Johnston family as visible proof of the group's mission.

"These little kids can go to that forest, and when they have kids, those kids can go to that forest," she said. "It's really important that forests are fully protected in perpetuity."

e.regan@theday.com