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According to a press release from the Gov. M. Jodi Rell's office, the funds were available from the Recreation and Natural Heritage Trust, which is managed by the state's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
Although most of the property lies in Bethel, some of it is also located in Redding.
The land includes some of the headwaters of the lakes in Huntington State Park. It also has vernal pools and a trail system that connects to the park's trail system.
Mr. Schrijver said the idea of selling the property to the state first came up during a conversation with Bethel First Selectman Robert Burke a few years ago.
He wanted to sell the land, which is known locally as "Bogus Farm," to the state in an effort to make sure that it remains as open space.
The two sides were very far apart when it came to the selling price at first, though.
Mr. Schrijver believes the sale would help everybody involved. The state gets open space that it can add to the park and the town doesn't have to worry about the property being developed.
"I think it's a really good solution for everyone," Mr. Schrijver said. Developers had approached him about purchasing the property but he turned them down.
Of selling the property to the state so that it would be preserved as open land, he said, "This was always my hope."
Mr. Schrijver credited Mr. Burke, state Sen. David Cappiello (R-Danbury), state Rep. David Scribner (R-Brookfield) and DEP Commissioner Gina McCarthy for their hard work in making the sale happens.
Mr. Burke pointed out that Mr. Schrijver could have received a lot more money for the project if he sold it to a developer. "Mr. Schrijver was more than generous to the State of Connecticut," he said, adding that the sale has been in the works since he took office in 2006.
"It's a gorgeous piece of property," Mr. Burke said of the property.
Mr. Scribner said he was also happy that the sale to the state was completed.
Gov. Rell said that she too was pleased that the sale was completed. "Bogus Farm is an impressive and important purchase for us," she said. "This property was one of the largest undeveloped areas in northern Fairfield County held in private ownership."
The fact that the property connects to Huntington State Park means that the recreational opportunities that are available to park goers will be enhanced.
"With the purchase of the Bogus Farm property we are making Collis B. Huntington State Park and even more exciting place to visit," Gov. Rell said.
Archer M. Huntington bought the land that Collis P. Huntington State Park is located on in the 1930s. It was there that his wife Anna Hyatt Huntington, a famous sculptress, worked with clay in her studio. The park is named after Collis Porter Huntington, who was Archer Huntington's father.
