Excellence in Land Conservation Awards 2026
2026 Excellence in Conservation Awards
The Connecticut Land Conservation Council (CLCC) has a proud tradition of recognizing individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the ongoing success of land conservation in our state. This year is no exception, as the CLCC announces the recipients of the 2026 Excellence in Conservation Awards, celebrating the dedication, vision, and impactful work of conservation leaders across Connecticut. These awards not only honor past achievements but also aim to inspire future efforts by showcasing replicable projects and exemplary leadership within the land trust and conservation community.
Katchen Coley Award for Excellence in Conservation: Anthony Irving
Excellence in Conservation Organization Award: Warren Land Trust
Excellence in Community Engagement Award: East Haddam Land Trust & East Haddam Library System,
with Special Recognition of Gaynell Meij & Evelyn Morgen
Special Award for Excellence in Conservation Collaboration: Cooper Hill Conservation Alliance
Conservation Hero Award: Doris Johnson
Conservation Hero Award: Elisabeth Moore
Katchen Coley Award for Excellence in Conservation
Anthony Irving
Lyme Land Trust
Four Decades of Steadfast Advocacy in Lyme
For more than forty years, Anthony Irving has been a steadfast advocate for conservation in Lyme, serving seamlessly on town commissions and as a multi-term President of the Lyme Land Trust. He has been an active participant in every open space purchase involving the town, the state, and The Nature Conservancy over the last four decades, helping to preserve 1,766 acres of town land, plus 1,764 acres by easement and 624 acres held in fee by the land trust.
Beyond land acquisition, Tony's hands-on stewardship led to the creation and maintenance of many local trails. He was also a foundational leader in the 2008 federal designation of the Eightmile River as a Wild & Scenic Partnership River, and he continues to chair the watershed's coordinating committee to oversee river monitoring and community grants, and to tackle invasive species. Tony's legacy is rooted in his belief that conservation is ultimately "about the land, the people, and the diverse plants and animals that make our town ecologically significant."
Excellence in Conservation Organization Award
Warren Land Trust
Monumental Watershed Protection by an All-Volunteer Trust
The Warren Land Trust (WLT), under the leadership of President and current CLCC board member Rebecca Neary, recently completed two extraordinary, multi-year conservation achievements: permanently protecting the 198-acre Tanner Farm and the 152-acre Mountain Lake Preserve. Together, these projects safeguard over 350 acres of high-value land within the Lake Waramaug watershed, protecting cold-water fisheries, prime farmland soils, and an expanding 1,200-acre block of core forest.
What makes this achievement particularly remarkable is that WLT is an entirely all-volunteer organization. Completing these two demanding, technically complex acquisitions - an effort spearheaded by WLT Vice President Elizabeth Chandler - required intense collaboration with regional partners, state and federal agencies, and private donors. The WLT board's perseverance and vision have permanently strengthened regional ecological health and wildlife connectivity while expanding public recreation in the Town of Warren.
Excellence in Community Engagement Award
East Haddam Land Trust & East Haddam Library System, with Special Recognition of Gaynell Meij and Evelyn Morgen
Connecting Community to Conservation Through Shared Reading
In 2024, Gaynell Meij of the East Haddam Land Trust and Evelyn Morgen of the East Haddam Library System launched a highly successful collaborative initiative: the Words from the Woods Book Circle. Designed to connect people to the value of preserving our natural world through a shared reading experience, the program quickly outgrew its original meeting space at the Rathbun Library.
Each month, attendees gather to share a nature-themed poem and discuss books exploring topics such as soil ecology, river protection, and wildlife communication. This creative partnership has successfully attracted new residents, fostered deep community friendships, and increased active participation in both library programs and land trust events. By combining literature and ecological appreciation, Gaynell and Evelyn have fostered a community of individuals with a heightened dedication to preserving the planet. As library director Evelyn Morgen notes, "In this world of broken connections between people, it's comforting to know that for millions of years trees and plants have been working together to keep the forests vibrant and healthy."
Special Award for Excellence in Conservation Collaboration
Cooper Hill Conservation Alliance
A Once-In-A-Generation Landscape-Scale Partnership
The Cooper Hill Conservation Alliance represents a monumental cross-border conservation victory, protecting over 1,200 acres of ecologically significant farmland, core forest, and critical habitats spanning Salisbury, CT, and Sheffield, MA. The extraordinary scope of this achievement inspired a discretionary Special Award to honor the entire coalition.
This loosely organized but highly effective partnership leapt into action when a massive swath of contiguous land suddenly went on the market. The Alliance brought together eight organizations—Salisbury Association Land Trust, Housatonic Valley Association, The Nature Conservancy (CT & MA), Northwest CT Land Conservancy, Sheffield Land Trust (MA), Mass Audubon, and The Trustees of Reservations (MA)—to navigate complex multi-state funding. The collaborative effort successfully secured parcels including Pine Island Farm, critical lands adjacent to Bartholomews Cobble, Miles Mountain, and Tom's Hill, protecting a forest corridor linking the Housatonic Valley to Canada.
Conservation Hero Award
Doris Johnson
CT DEEP Environmental Justice Program
Empowering Youth and Championing Environmental Justice
Passionate about producing future environmental stewards, Doris Johnson has coordinated, developed, and implemented numerous environmental awareness programs that have reached over 10,000 youth across Connecticut. In her vital role as the Outreach and Education Coordinator for the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection's (CT DEEP) Environmental Justice Program, she has been an instrumental resource for municipalities tackling critical issues such as illegal dumping, asbestos, housing, brownfields, and air pollution.
Doris has dedicated her time to numerous organizations, including the City of Hartford Parks Commission, Friends of Keney Park, No Child Left Inside, and the Wintonbury Land Trust (now part of Traprock Ridge Land Conservancy), and served as a member of the CLCC Board of Directors from 2020 to 2024. As she prepares to retire, we will miss Doris’s incredible depth of knowledge and steadfast commitment to community, education, and conservation.
Conservation Hero Award
Elisabeth Moore
Executive Director
Connecticut Farmland Trust
Over Two Decades of Championing Farmland Preservation
For over 25 years, Elisabeth Moore has worked tirelessly with landowners, towns, land trusts, and community groups to preserve farmland, along with natural and community resources. As the Executive Director of the Connecticut Farmland Trust, where she has worked since 2004, Elisabeth has successfully preserved 75 family farms. Her impressive career also includes serving as a project manager at the Trust for Public Land Connecticut Field Office, managing a landmark $50 million watershed protection program in the New York Catskills, and overseeing the Maryland Environmental Trust’s Rural Historic Village Protection Program.
A CLCC board member since 2018, she also serves on the steering committee of the Working Lands Alliance, the board of CitySeed, and as Vice President of the board of the Watershed Fund, bringing deep expertise and steadfast commitment to protecting working lands across the region. As she prepares for retirement, we are grateful for Elisabeth’s enduring impact on Connecticut’s landscape.