News

CLCC is seeking your land trust’s assistance in safeguarding our public lands from three detrimental conveyance bills under consideration in the General Assembly. These bills would transfer critical state natural areas to private entities if passed, potentially endangering their ecological integrity and public accessibility.

Please take action immediately! 

With less than two weeks left in the session, time is of the essence to stop these bills.

The bills we oppose are as follows:

HB 5522 — AN ACT CONVEYING A PARCEL OF STATE LAND IN THE TOWN OF WOODSTOCK. 

• This bill proposes transferring 19.3 acres of State Forest from DEEP to YMCA of Metropolitan Hartford, Inc. for “seasonal recreation and camp-related activities”. However, there’s no guarantee that the land won’t be developed, threatening important habitat and public access. (DEEP opposes this bill)

HB 5520 — AN ACT CONCERNING THE CONVEYANCE OF A PARCEL OF STATE LAND IN THE TOWN OF BERLIN. 

• This bill seeks to transfer 2.7 acres of Lamentation Mountain State Park Scenic Reserve to a private entity, Meriden Homestead II LLC, which illegally encroached upon the land. Such transfers set a dangerous precedent and threaten conservation efforts statewide. (DEEP opposes this bill)

SB 460 — AN ACT CONCERNING THE CONVEYANCE OF A PARCEL OF STATE LAND IN THE TOWN OF ENFIELD. 

• This bill aims to convey approximately 14.5 acres of wetlands to the Town of Enfield for soccer fields and associated 340+ parking stalls. Located entirely within a drinking water watershed and the state’s natural diversity database (indicating the presence of plants and/or animals that may have protections under the law), this transfer could harm valuable wetland habitats without proper study and mitigation plans.

Status: The Government Administration and Election Committee (GAE) approved these bills, and they are awaiting further action by the General Assembly.

Action: We urge your land trust to take immediate action by contacting Senator Mae Flexer and Representative Matt Blumenthal, co-chairs of the GAE, cc: your legislators, and voicing your opposition to these bills. 

• Email: Mae.Flexer@cga.ct.gov and Matt.Blumenthal@cga.ct.gov
• Cc: Your Legislators. FIND THEM HERE » (Please contact me for help if you are unsure which legislators to contact, especially if your land trust serves multiple towns.)
• Cc: Valentina.Mehmeti@cga.ct.gov (clerk of the GAE Committee)

Message: Please express your concerns about the detrimental impacts on conservation efforts and public access to natural areas, and ask them to oppose the bills. A brief, direct message emphasizing the importance of protecting state-owned land for future generations is critical.

Feel free to use this sample message, but your own words are best:

Dear Senator Flexer and Representative Blumenthal,

On behalf of the ___________ Land Trust, I am writing to express my concerns about three conveyance bills:

HB 5522 — AN ACT CONVEYING A PARCEL OF STATE LAND IN THE TOWN OF WOODSTOCK, which proposes transferring 19.3 acres of State Forest from DEEP to YMCA of Metropolitan Hartford with no guarantee that the land won’t be developed, threatening critical habitat and public access.

HB 5520 — AN ACT CONCERNING THE CONVEYANCE OF A PARCEL OF STATE LAND IN THE TOWN OF BERLIN, which seeks to transfer 2.7 acres of Lamentation Mountain State Park Scenic Reserve to a private entity that illegally encroached upon the land. This transfer would set a dangerous precedent regarding how the state handles encroachments and threatens conservation efforts statewide.

SB 460 — AN ACT CONCERNING THE CONVEYANCE OF A PARCEL OF STATE LAND IN THE TOWN OF ENFIELD, which aims to convey ~14.5 acres of wetlands to the town for soccer fields and associated 340+ parking stalls. This conveyance could harm valuable wetland habitats without proper study and mitigation plans.

If passed, these bills would transfer critical natural areas to private entities, potentially endangering their ecological integrity and public accessibility and undermining the public trust in state lands.

We urge you to oppose HB 5520, HB 5522, and SB 460.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Your Name, Title, Land Trust, and Service Area