316 Lyme Acres Now Tax-Exempt After Transfer to RFK Jr.-Founded Nonprofit for Planned Kids’ Nature Preserve

LYME, CT – More than 300 acres deeded by Timothy Mellon to the nonprofit Children’s Health Defense at no cost will be used as a nature preserve for children, according to local tax documents.

Three parcels have been transferred to the nonprofit Children’s Health Defense, starting with 5.5 acres off Joshuatown Road in 2024, followed by 281 acres at 100-7 Joshuatown Road and another 29.22 acres at 62 Joshua Lane in 2025. All three properties, totaling just under 316 acres, are contiguous.

The properties are valued at $5.5 million in assessor’s records. In January, Tax Assessor Jen Thomas granted a nonprofit tax exemption for all three. That means they are no longer subject to local property taxes.

Children’s Health Defense (CHD) was founded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who stepped down as the organization’s chairman in late 2024 in anticipation of his confirmation as secretary of health and human services.

The group describes itself as part of the health freedom movement, rejecting government intervention in personal healthcare decisions and figuring prominently in anti-vaccine advocacy.

Mellon, an heir to the Mellon family banking fortune, was identified in the New York Times as one of the biggest financial supporters of President Donald Trump and Kennedy in the 2024 election. He is known locally for guarding his privacy.

Thomas approved tax-exempt status for the three properties based on separate applications from Lou Woroch, identified in Children’s Health Defense’s most recent tax filing as controller, which said the properties will be used “as a nature preserve for children and their families.”

The applications cited a focus on children’s health and the belief “that being outdoors and learning about the broader environment is an important component of children’s physical, mental and spiritual health.”

The properties include two antique homes, a tennis court, inground pool, a 1986 caretaker’s house, a 34-by-50-foot Norwegian church replica and private cemetery on a combined 316 acres along the Connecticut River and Hamburg Cove.

An update to the initial application for the 5.5-acre parcel confirmed the group had been using the site as proposed before acquiring the adjoining properties. It cited “long nature walks on several instances with members of the CHD community” in February, May and September. Additional walks were planned for November and December.

“Our use was limited in 2025 as we did not have bathroom or kitchen facilities nearby,” the update said. “Now that we own the additional 300+ acres of adjacent land, including buildings, we have a physical location that will enable us to do more with children’s groups going forward.”

Thomas said single-year taxes paid on the properties prior to the exemption totaled $34,307 for 100-7 Joshuatown Road and $7,516 for 62 Joshua Lane in July 2025, and $587 for the 5.5-acre parcel in 2024. The former two properties had been subject to reduced taxes based on their status as protected open space.

The organization focuses on litigation, education, scientific analysis and advocacy in response to a rise in chronic health conditions in children, according to its website.

Neither Children’s Health Defense nor Mary Holland, its president, responded to requests for comment. Mellon could not be reached.

Local Oversight

Lyme Zoning Enforcement Officer Ross Byrne on Monday said he wasn’t aware the properties were being used as a nature preserve by the nonprofit organization.

“That’s news to me,” he said.

He said bringing people in for nature walks does not constitute a change in land use that would require any additional permitting. But other activities would likely require additional oversight.

Options for development are limited in the rural zone, according to Byrne. If a proposed use is not specifically allowed in the regulations, an applicant could request an amendment to the regulations or file for a variance with the Zoning Board of Appeals.

He said housing children for the organization’s programs or using a commercial kitchen would be examples of uses currently prohibited, though he would have to look into state laws that sometimes supersede local regulations.

Uses allowable through the special permit process, which requires a public hearing and vote by the Planning and Zoning Commission, include churches, clubs, community houses, and nonprofit museums or parks. 

Camps are specifically prohibited in the zone.

While Byrne has not been approached on the subject by Mellon or the organization, he said he can visit the property and talk to neighbors to learn more about how it is being used and what regulatory processes might be triggered.

“It becomes touchy if he has ‘no trespassing’ signs,” Byrne acknowledged.

A maintenance agreement filed in the town clerk’s office last summer requires Wyoming-based Clipper Properties LLC to maintain the property and provide insurance for five years. It was signed on Aug. 29 by Mellon – individually and as a member of Clipper Properties – and on Sept. 8 by Holland.

The document also calls for a member of Clipper Properties or its designee to live rent-free at 100-7 Joshuatown Road for five years, with an option to renew, and to use 62 Joshua Lane for noncommercial purposes.

The agreement is subject to a state conservation easement, amended in 2018 to include the nascent Clipper Properties, prohibiting any new structures or improvements on the properties. An exemption allows for uses added during Mellon’s ownership for maintenance, recreational, forestry and agricultural purposes.

At Monday’s regular meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission, Byrne updated members that he’s been asked by residents about the impact of the potential change in use.

Member Anne Littlefield thanked him for the heads up.

“I think we have to find out from them what they’re planning,” she said.