News

We recently shared an update on how conservation won big during Connecticut’s legislative session. The leadership of our state legislators on conservation issues is critical in the face of serious threats to conservation policy at the federal level. We would like to bring to your attention several urgent developments that could significantly impact your land trust and the communities you serve. Please note that these issues are fluid, especially as bills are being negotiated.

Forest Service Programs Face Elimination

The President’s FY26 “Skinny Budget” proposes to eliminate the U.S. Forest Service’s State, Private, and Tribal Forestry (SPTF) programs and slash the agency’s overall funding by 63%. These programs are essential to:

• Urban and Community Forestry grants
  
• Forest Stewardship for private landowners (70% of CT forest land)
  
• The Forest Legacy Program (protected 10,000+ acres in CT)
  
• Volunteer Fire Capacity grants
  
• Landscape Scale Restoration like CPFA’s Master Woodland Manager’s program
  

Without SPTF, Connecticut DEEP and its partners—including land trusts—would lose critical capacity to manage, protect, and steward our forests.

LWCF Funding at Risk

The President’s proposal also diverts nearly $1 billion away from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF)—undermining the funding secured by the Great American Outdoors Act, which was signed into law by President Trump in 2020. The LWCF supports land acquisition, trail connections, public recreation, and more. Projects across Connecticut would be jeopardized including those with funding pending from the Highlands Conservation Act projects, land protection along the New England Trail, the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, and many more. 

Please consider signing the LWCF support letter from the national LWCF Coalition:

Sign here

Forest Legacy Funding Still at Risk

The reconciliation bill passed by the U.S. House earlier this year included a $100 million rescission to the Forest Legacy Program and reduced review of energy infrastructure projects. The Senate has removed that cut, but negotiations continue—and final provisions are uncertain. 

NEW: Senate Finance Proposal Threatens Charitable Giving

This week, the Senate Finance Committee released reconciliation text that includes harmful new restrictions on individual and corporate charitable giving. These provisions would disincentivize donations to nonprofits—like your land trust—and divert resources from vital community-based work.

As shared by the Land Trust Alliance, these restrictions could:

• Undermine nonprofits’ ability to fulfill their missions
  
• Harm the people and communities that rely on essential services
  
• Add pressure to already strained funding streams
  

The Alliance is seeking to ensure these harmful provisions are removed before the bill moves forward.

What You Can Do

Please contact Connecticut’s federal delegation today to:

1. Thank them for their steadfast support of land conservation and land trusts
   
2. Urge them to oppose:
   
   • The elimination of USFS SPTF programs
     
   • Cuts to the LWCF and Forest Legacy Program
     
   • The new restrictions on charitable giving in the Senate Finance reconciliation bill
     
3. Share how your work benefits your community, and how these proposed cuts or changes would set it back

Find your U.S. Senators and Representatives here.

Every story, every voice matters. Thank you for standing up for land conservation, land trusts, and the strength of the nonprofit community.