News
Happy Earth Day! We are delighted to share this video showcasing a sampling of the amazing land conservation and greenspace projects undertaken by land trusts and their community partners across the state.
With the legislative session ending May 4 and a vote expected soon on the FY 2023 Budget, this Earth Day is a great day to contact your legislators thanking them for their support of land conservation, greenspace development, and farmland preservation projects in your community and asking them to:
- Support maximum bond funding for the Open Space & Watershed Land Acquisition Grant Program (OSWA) which provides matching grants to municipalities, land trusts, and water companies for open space and watershed land conservation, and includes the Urban Green and Community Garden Program for community garden and greenspace development projects;
- Protect and continue full funding of the Community Investment Act which provides a consistent source of dedicated revenue for investments in open space, farmland/dairy support, historic properties, and affordable housing programs in all communities across the state; and
- Support maximum bond funding for the Recreational Trails & Greenways Grant Program to support land trust and community trail projects and acquisition of land or easements for trails and trail corridors.
With the state’s land acquisition efforts significantly off target, land trusts and their community partners are critical to accelerating the pace of land conservation to help meet the state’s 21% goal, mitigate the impacts of climate change, keep air and water clean, and improve the quality of life and strength of the economy in every community:
Investments in state land conservation programs are essential to these efforts.
Thank you for your advocacy and for all you do in your community to help make every day, Earth Day.
Sincerely,
Amy Blaymore Paterson
Executive Director
abpaterson@ctconservation.org