News

At CLCC, our work is not only about helping land trusts to conserve land and protect natural habitats. It’s also about forging meaningful connections between people and the land they love and need.

In this month’s eNews, we’re excited to share some recent activities, collaborations, and partnerships that highlight these connections.

Earlier this month, CLCC was honored to sign-on as a regional partner in recognition of the renewal of Hartford as an Urban Bird Treaty City. This partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Dept. of Interior, and CT Audubon Society brings together municipalities, nonprofits, and community members to promote bird conservation through education, habitat restoration, and bird-friendly practices.

By supporting this treaty, CLCC recognizes the vital role that urban green spaces play in fostering connections between people and nature—with local partnerships key to its success.

More recently, I had an opportunity to visit a very special project completed by the Wyndham Land Trust.

Working with a local historian researching the lives of people who lived and worked on the lands, WLT installed a stone marker acknowledging the presence of enslaved people buried in a family cemetery on the land trust’s Nightingale Woods Preserve.

With assistance from a partnership program offered by CLCC, The Last Green Valley, and the Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut, WLT has taken a powerful step towards honoring the history and stories of those who were once connected to this land. By preserving this site and continuing to conserve parcels in the larger forest block, WLT also ensures the land remains accessible to historians for further research of enslaved history—a reminder that land conservation can also serve as a means to recognize and reconcile with our shared past, strengthening our connections with the land and with one another.

At CLCC, we are all about building connections—between people and the land, between land trusts and their communities, and between our shared past and future. Together, through our collective commitment to preserving our natural and cultural heritage, we can create a more connected and resilient Connecticut for generations to come.