The 84-acre Manchester property is located within a highly intact forest block in northeastern Connecticut, part of the federally designated National Heritage Corridor known as The Last Green Valley (TLGV). The Manchester property consists of two tracts. The first is 53 acres located south of Bush Road within the Natchaug River Watershed. This tract abuts 25 acres of land permanently protected by a conservation easement in favor of The Nature Conservancy of Connecticut (TNC). The second (northerly) tract of 31 acres is part of an unfragmented forest block of more than 5,000 acres within the Quinebaug River drainage basin. This parcel is contiguous to State of Connecticut Nipmuck Forest land.

The Manchester property creates a linking corridor between the approximately 9,000-acre Nipmuck State Forest and privately protected lands in Union and Woodstock. The largely intact nature of the forest makes it important nesting habitat for certain migratory songbirds such as warblers that require large forested areas. Many large mammals, such as black bear, moose, coyote, white-tail deer, turkey, bobcat, fisher and beaver use this habitat for feeding and breeding.

The Manchester property will open to the public for the purpose of hiking, bird watching and other low impact recreation. Permanent protection of the Manchester property is consistent with the Plan of Open Space and Conservation adopted May 19, 2010, by the Town of Union. Protection of the Manchester parcel on Bush Road is consistent with the goals of the Still River Greenway, designated by the Connecticut Greenways Council in 2006 and the Natchaug River Basin Conservation Compact, endorsed by the eight watershed municipalities including Union and Woodstock in April 2011.

Acquisition of the Manchester property as open space will limit impacts from development including fragmentation of forest blocks, increased impervious cover and non-point source pollution, which threatens the high-quality waters and habitat of the Still River, Natchaug River and Quinebaug River Basins. It will preserve the rural and forested landscape of Union, Connecticut. Protection of the Manchester property will help to sustain and buffer the healthy forest systems of the Nipmuck and Natchaug State Forests, Yale-Myers Forest and privately owned working forests in northeastern Connecticut. These parcels maintain habitat connectivity and provide critical intact riparian and wildlife corridors.

Portions of the Manchester property are located within the Natchaug River Basin, the largest surface drinking water watershed in Connecticut and the Quinebaug River Basin draining to Breakneck Pond. Within the Natchaug River Basin, the property could qualify as Class II watershed land, however no water company currently owns nearby surrounding land.