Our Mission
The Connecticut Land Conservation Council advocates for land conservation, stewardship and funding, and works to ensure the long term strength and viability of the land conservation community.
Our Programs & Services
CLCC ensures that members of the Connecticut land conservation community have the support, services and leadership they need to save special places from being lost forever. Programs and services include the following:
Technical Assistance
Providing direct support to build strong land trusts including …
- Connecticut Land Trust Advancement Initiative: Growing Conservation & Stewardship Capacity by Building Stronger Land Trusts – now in its 6th year, this award-winning organizational advancement program has assisted over twenty-five land trusts on collaborative projects around communications & community engagement, stewardship, record keeping, regional mapping, strategic planning, shared services, and more.
- CLCC Advanced Collaboration and Merger Assistance Program – part of the Advancement Initiative, a focused multi-level program designed to assist land trusts seeking stronger organizational health and effectiveness through advanced collaboration, structural realignment, or merger with other organizations.
- Consultations & Coaching – consultations and presentations with landowners, boards, and commissions on topics of interest.
- Connecticut Land Trust Listserv – administered by CLCC and UCONN Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR) intended for discussion of land conservation and land trust organizational questions.
- Conservation Service Provider Directory – compiled annually as part of our Conference sponsorship program.
- Land Trust Directory and Map – an up-to-date guide to Connecticut’s land trusts.
- Information Sharing – website, eNews, social media, and other communications for regular, up-to-date news on conservation.
Training, Education, & Networking
Providing inspiration, education, and collaboration through programs including …
- Annual Connecticut Land Conservation Conference – the largest conservation gathering and the only land trust convocation of its kind in Connecticut. Joining us this past March were 500 participants representing more than 83 land trusts, 20 conservation commissions, and at least 45 other conservation organizations on both the state and national level.
- Annual Focus Group Series – consultant-led roundtables for Connecticut land trust officers, board members, and committee chairs serving in a similar capacity in diverse land trusts from around the state.
- Facilitated Regional Roundtables, Land Trust Summits, and Retreats – peer-to-peer networking and topical discussions for land trust board members, staff, municipal land use commissioners, and other interested members of the conservation community.
- Model Conservation Easement and Associated Trainings – improving the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the drafters and users of conservation easements through a comprehensive training program built around CLCC’s 2014 Model Conservation Easement and subsequent updates.
- Regional Conservation Conversations – commenced in the summer of 2018, land trust gatherings to learn from, and celebrate, local conservation successes.
#LoveYourCTLandTrust
A monthly e-Newsletter featuring the amazing work of Connecticut’s land trusts!
Conservation Policy
Coordinating & leading the voice for land conservation in Hartford and Washington, D.C.
As a locally supported non-profit, CLCC coordinates and leads land trusts throughout the state to provide a strong and compelling voice for conservation. Together, we are continuing to engage the land trusts and broader conservation community in advocating for land conservation at the local, state, and federal levels through direct engagement, calls to action, lobby days, and policy workshops. Annual legislative and policy priorities include:
- Leading to represent the goals of the open space sector as part of the Community Investment Act coalition.
- Advocating for consistent and adequate state funding for land conservation, State Parks, and farmland preservation programs.
- Providing input to DEEP on local conservation policies and priorities.
- Leading the State Review Board to oversee DEEP land conservation funding programs.
- Strengthening protections for public lands and watersheds.