Policy & Advocacy:
Speak up for open space funding!
CLCC’s 2021 Conservation Priorities
Every year, the Connecticut Land Conservation Council sets a “Conservation Agenda” identifying key state and federal legislative and funding priorities critical to Connecticut’s land conservation efforts. Partnerships with other land conservation advocates, grassroots support, and public participation are essential to the success of CLCC’s annual agenda.
Take Action 2021
2021 Session Update: Urge the Environment Committee to Raise HB 5100 - Authorizing a Municipal Conservation Funding Option
Now is the time to enact legislation giving municipalities an option to generate their own revenue for land conservation, climate resiliency, and community environmental projects through a local buyer’s conveyance fee program.
2021 Session Update: Statewide Organizations Ask Governor Lamont to Preserve the Community Investment Act (CIA)
The Community Investment Act (CIA) is a dedicated account set up outside the budget for open space, farmland preservation, and other state land use programs. It is chronically at risk of raids and cuts to address budget shortfalls. An annual priority, CLCC works with its state and local partners to ensure CIA funds stay intact and dedicated.
On January 25, CLCC and other major supporters of the CIA sent Governor Lamont a letter thanking him for preserving the fund and asking him to do so again in the upcoming biennial budget.
2021 Session Update: CLCC Advocates for State Land Conservation Funding Programs
A mainstay for local land conservation efforts, the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP) Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Grant Program (OSWA) provides financial assistance to land trusts, municipalities, and water companies to help acquire and protect open space and create urban green and community gardens.
As we do each year, CLCC will advocate for consistent and increased funding for OSWA and other state land conservation programs during the 2021 legislative session.
Yes, Your Land Trust Can Lobby!
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Be a Conservation Advocate!
Yes, Your Land Trust Can Lobby!
If your land trust has a stake in enhancing funding opportunities and increasing tax incentives for land conservation, investing in nature-based climate solutions, connecting communities to locally grown food, and ensuring equitable access to greenspaces, you should lobby!
Your land trust (and any 501(c)(3) nonprofit), whether operating statewide or in a single town, staffed or all-volunteer, can lobby your municipal council, the state government, and even Congress, if you follow some relatively simple rules
Take Action
Outreach Materials
CT Conservation Primer
Areas of Focus
We organize our advocacy work and programming around these areas:
Investment Act
Option
Strengthen Connecticut Land Conservation
There are many challenges in land conservation, but we have never yielded. We’ve always found our strength in the support of people who care for the environment as much we do. We can achieve so much more working with one another than alone.
We're stronger together.
