The Connecticut Land Conservation Council (CLCC) and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) hosted a series of one-hour, lunchtime Zoom discussions on state land conservation planning and open space grant funding programs.
The following resources were provided by Lisa Hayden (New England Forestry Foundation) and Andrea Urbano (CT DEEP) at the 2023 Connecticut Land Conservation Conference. This presentation explained emerging forest stewardship, urban forestry and land management practices that are being defined, implemented and monitored for their climate benefits in Connecticut and across New England.
May and early summer is the best time of year to recognize ericaceous and other shrub species – like blueberries, laurels, and arrowood – when they are in bloom. A preponderance of flowering native shrubs warrants a concerted effort to secure an alternate management regime for those areas – not frequent close mowing. We recommend marking the limits of the shrub patches, to make them easier to avoid. If photos of a blooming shrub, including a close-up of a flower and a few leaves, are posted on the CT Botanical Society Facebook page, we may well be able to help with identification.
2/1/23 – While land conservation and affordable housing are often pitted against one another as an “either/or” proposition, the reality is that Connecticut communities need both. Along with our program partners at Land Trust Alliance and the Trust for Public Land, this summit consisted of a full-day exploration of how housing and conservation groups can work together to achieve greater good. Discussions covered successful examples of collaboration, and how such efforts can lead to healthier, more equitable housing, to more land conservation in our communities, and to increased funding for joint projects.
Catch the recording from part one of this program Buildings, Offices, and HQs – What should your land trust consider?
Catch the recording from part two of this program Historic Buildings – A primer on historic preservation, restoration, designations, and funding.
CLCC and CT Farmland Trust hosted an online introduction to the FarmLink program, and how FarmLink can help match your land trust to a farmer who is interested in stewarding your agricultural lands. Topics discussed land and community benefits of leasing farmland, land trust considerations before leasing, and funding opportunities for your land trust.
CLCC’s Land Trust Board Member Boot Camp is a five-part series that covers the essential roles, functions, and responsibilities of land trust board members. The series is designed for those who are new to being on a board, new to land trusts, or are looking for a refresher course.
The Land Trust Alliance and CLCC collaborated to bring risk management support to your land trust, through the Connecticut Land Trust Risk Management Initiative.
7/14/22 – This Zoom Info Session covered questions presented to CT DEEP staff regarding the Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Grant Program (OSWA) and the Urban Green and Community Garden Program (UGCG).
11/5/21 – Writing the Land is a collaborative project between land trusts and artists to help raise awareness for the preservation of land, ecosystems, and biodiversity. The program helps poets “adopt” a conserved property, partnering them with a land trust for the calendar year.
Poets visit the properties and create poems inspired by the land. At the end of the year, the poems are published, with a chapter featuring each participating land trust.
4/21/21 – Attorney Keith Ainsworth leads the discussion on the legal strategies and tools available to land trusts, environmental organizations and landowners seeking to protect, assert and know their rights. This workshop will cover laws and regulations, and will review the broad history of cases that illustrate how Connecticut’s courts have shaped the law. Topics included encroachments, tree law, water and wetlands, liability and risk management, restoration, documentation and participating in the public process. Keith will provide a lightning round presentation on these topics and then open it up to the group for Q&A.
This workshop was originally presented as part of CLCC’s Spring 2021 Conserving Land by Staying Connected Programming.
