Natural Resources: Proposals by Others

Open space legislation in 1998 streamlined the process for state acquisition of critical properties for conservation. In addition to this legislation Governor John G. Rowland proposed in 1998 a goal of preserving up to 21% of the state (an additional 280,000 acres) by the year 2023. It is hoped that this goal will be met by a collective effort of private landowners, federal, state, and local governments as well as water utility companies and continuing to preserve agricultural land. Early successes of this plan are evident in that the DEP was able to conserve land in the state in the last six months of 1998 at nearly three times the normal rate. One such acquisition is the Echo Farm on the Salmon River in East Haddam. This pristine 300-acre farm offers sweeping views of the river and acts as a significant buffer for the watershed. (State of Connecticut 1998 Annual Report of the Council on Environmental Quality pp.1, 32). It is also hopeful, as stated by Leslie Lewis of the DEP Greenway Assistance Center, that newly acquired properties will enable the state to create more connections for trails and greenways. A recent acquisition of 9.5 miles of abandoned railroad in Cheshire and Southington will allow the state to make a critical connection along the Farmington Canal Greenway network in the central part of the state (State of Connecticut 1998 Annual Report of the Council on Environmental Quality pp.1).

Map Proposals by Others

Proposals by Study Results