Connecticut non-profit pays mortgage of former Boy Scout campsite [Video]

KILLINGWORTH, Conn. — After fighting for its future for nearly two years, Deer Lake, one of Connecticut’s most treasured natural resources, has been saved.

For decades, the 255-acre property in Killingworth has served as both a conservation greenway and a wilderness camp retreat. So in 2022 when it was initially slated for commercial redevelopment, the community, state and country stepped up to save it.

“It is the beating heart of an environmental ecosystem,” said U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal.

It took a year and a half, 1,600 donors across 87 Connecticut towns, 34 states and five countries for a total of $5 million. Even that wasn’t enough.

“They didn’t stop after we reached our first milestone which was to acquire the property. We had a heavy debt burden but people kept on giving,” responded Ted Langevin, the CEO of …