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About CLCC
The mission of the CT Land Conservation Council is to advocate for land preservation, stewardship and funding, and ensure the long term strength and viability of the land conservation community.
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November 5
Roundtable
Regional Land Trust Board Summit
Stamford, CT
November 7
S&P Training
Board Governance & Leadership
David Allen
Hartford, CT
November 14
Roundtable
Accreditation: Truth or Dare!
Connie Manes & your land trust peers!
Rockfall, CT
November 21
GIS Training
Weantinoge Heritage Land Trust staff
Kent, CT
December 5
Model CE Training Series
Workshop #4
Stewardship & Enforcement
Linda Francois, Esq.
Lindsay Michel (CFPA)
More info coming soon!
December 10
Roundtable
Regional Land Trust Board Summit
N. Stonington, CT
More info coming soon!
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Alicia Sullivan, Chair
Trust for Public Land
Tim Abbott
Litchfield Hills Greenprint
David Bingham
Salem Land Trust
Sandy Breslin
Audubon Connecticut
David Brown
Middlesex Land Trust
Margot Burns
Lower CT River Council of Governments
Kevin Case
Land Trust Alliance
Eric Hammerling
Connecticut Forest & Park Association
Mary-Michelle Hirschoff
The Garden Club of New Haven
Elaine LaBella
Housatonic Valley Association
Connie Manes
Kent Land Trust
Elisabeth Moore
Connecticut Farmland Trust
Shirley Nichols
Darien Land Trust
Tom ODell
CT Association of Conservation & Inland Wetland Commissions
Catherine Rawson
Weantinoge Heritage Land Trust
David Sutherland
The Nature Conservancy
Humphrey Tyler
Lyme Land Conservation Trust
Staff
Amy B. Paterson
Executive Director
Cristina Gastador
Communications Coordinator
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Executive Director's Message
Running Around Connecticut
"Good thing you drive a Prius!"
I can't tell you how often I've heard that response when I describe my typical work week. I put a lot of mileage on my car, visiting land trusts, attending events, and convening workshops and roundtables throughout the state -- and I couldn't be happier.
Meeting with you, sharing ideas, and hearing about your challenges and successes continues to inspire us at CLCC to provide services, tools, and representation to help you to achieve your conservation goals.
But this year, I've taken my "running around the state" to a more literal level. After a meeting with CLCC Steering Committee member Tim Abbott (Litchfield Hills Greenprint Collaborative) earlier this year, I decided to take a trail run before getting back in the car for the long ride home. Here is what I saw:
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Mohawk Mountain State Park
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Now I always make sure I have my running gear with me whenever I head out to a meeting, because no matter where I am in Connecticut there is always a very special place to take a run -- thanks to you!
With much appreciation for all you continue to do to preserve the places we can all enjoy.
Amy
 | Post-run selfie!
Falls River Preserve
Essex Land Trust |
PS: Please let me know if you want to join me for a trail run on one of your preserves. It would be my pleasure!
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2015 CT Land Conservation Conference
Reminder! Workshop Proposals Due November 3
31st Annual Connecticut Land Conservation Conference
Saturday, March 21, 2015
8:30am - 4:45pm (followed by post-event reception)
Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT
CLCC invites you to submit a proposal for its 2015 Connecticut Land Conservation Conference, the state's largest annual full-day land conservation gathering, which continues to grow in popularity and size. CLCC seeks workshops on a variety of subjects relevant to the work of land trusts and other members of Connecticut's conservation community.
SUBMIT A PRESENTATION APPLICATION HERE
2014 Annual Conference Workshop
Photo credit: Emma Case
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CLCC Calendar of Events
Register Today!
Regional Land Trust Board Summits
Southwest Region - Fairfield County
Date: Wednesday, November 5
Time: 7:00 - 8:30pm
Location: Stamford Museum & Nature Center, 39 Scofieldtown Rd., Stamford
Cost: Free
Co-host: Stamford Land Conservation Trust
Southeast Region - Middlesex and New London Counties
Date: Wednesday, December 10
Time: 7:00 - 8:30pm
Location: North Stonington Historical Society Homestead, 1 Wyassup Rd., North Stonington
Cost: Free
Co-hosts: Avalonia Land Conservancy, Inc. and North Stonington Citizens Land Alliance
Networking - Socializing - Information Sharing
CLCC's Regional Summits are informal, fun and interesting -- with the discussion driven by your interests. What's on your mind? Accreditation? Funding for land acquisition projects or stewardship? Thinking about hiring staff or sharing staff? Looking to organize a regional conservation effort? Need some fresh ideas for programs and outreach? Bring your thoughts, ideas, challenges, concerns and success stories to share with your regional peers. Further details HERE. RSVP HERE.
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Standards & Practices Series
Session 2: Board Governance & Leadership
A Board for All Seasons
Date: Friday, November 7
Time: 9:30am - 2:30pm
Location: Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, 10 Columbus Blvd., Hartford, CT
Cost: Free for CLCC members; $25 for non-members
Offered in partnership with the Land Trust Alliance, this fun and interactive seminar offers a fresh perspective on the job of running a land trust. Against a framework of the arc of board service - learning/doing/leading - we will offer five outside-the-lines strategies for reorganizing and rejuvenating the board experience to ensure the kind of organization that is needed - in perpetuity. We'll also provide practical, hand-on tools for participants to take back and implement right away, and we'll practice using them.
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CLCC Roundtable Series
Accreditation: Truth or Dare?
A facilitated discussion led by your land trust peers
Date: Friday, November 14
Time: 9:30am - 12:00pm
Location: CT Forest & Park Association, 16 Meriden Rd., Rockfall, CT
Cost: Free for CLCC members; $10 for non-members
Accreditation! Been there? Done that? Time to do it again? Thinking about it? Was it worth it?
Learn from a panel of your peers about the program and process of Land Trust Accreditation. Moderated by CLCC Training & Education Committee Chair, Connie Manes (Kent Land Trust), representatives from several Connecticut land trusts will discuss the steps they took in preparing to apply, their experiences with the accreditation application, and the benefits of having achieved accredited status. Further details HERE. RSVP HERE.
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CLCC Training Series
Applied GPS for Land Trusts
Make Your "Tech" Work for You!
Taught by Weantinoge Heritage Land Trust Staff
Date: Friday, November 21
Time: 9:30am - 2:00pm (Snacks provided. BYO brown bag lunch)
Location: Weantinoge Heritage Land Trust (WHLT), 5 Maple St., Kent, CT (with field study at a WHLT property)
Cost: Free for CLCC members; $25 for non-members
Space is limited to 12 participants.
In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn how to apply GPS/Mapping skills to real world land trust stewardship issues including: documentation of violations, easement and preserve monitoring per LTA Standards and Practices, using surveys in the field, options for creating/saving maps, and discussion of how to handle certain field issues-what and how to document. Further details HERE.
REGISTER HERE
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State News - Open Space Grant Program Announcements
Next State Open Space Grant Round Announced
Deadline is March 1, 2015
Grant info is HERE
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has announced that funds are available to assist municipalities, land conservation organizations and water companies with the purchase and preservation of open space lands, urban green space and community gardens through the state Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Program (OSWA).
Application deadline is March 1, 2015. Grant awards are expected to be awarded in the fall of 2015.
For more information on the program and to access a grant application click HERE or contact: Dave Stygar at (860) 424-3081 or Allyson Clarke at (860) 424-3774.
Open Space Grant Awards Announced
Governor Malloy announced this week that nearly $7.8 million in state grants will assist 25 communities in purchasing 2,237 acres to be preserved as open space. The grants come through DEEP's Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition program, which provides financial support to municipalities, land trusts and water companies in purchasing open space, using state bonds and funding from the 2005 Community Investment Act. Click HERE to read the announcement in its entirety, which includes a list and summary of the projects awarded grant funds under the program.
The Preserve photo credit: Trust for Public Land
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State News - State Plan Updates
Public input sought on Green Plan and Wildlife Action Plan - Info sessions planned
DEEP Green Plan Revisions
Pursuant to the Connecticut General Statutes, DEEP is updating the Green Plan (Connecticut's comprehensive open space strategy) and prioritizing actions through the Department's actions through 2019 to best achieve the State's changing open space acquisition goals and meet new plan component requirements. Current drafts and the old plan are available on DEEP's website. Your input is critical! Please send comments and questions to: Jamie Sydoriak, Land Acquisition Resource Assistant, at [email protected].
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Connecticut's Wildlife Action Plan: October Update
 Work is also continuing on the state Wildlife Action plan. The draft Connecticut Species List of Greatest Conservation Need is on the Website as is a draft of Chapter 1. Public comment is encouraged and DEEP is still urging everyone to view the old plan on DEEP's Website. A schedule of public powerpoint presentations (next one is November 13 in Milford) and facilitated workshops (next one is November 6 at CFPA in Rockfall) may be found HERE.
Photo credit: Audubon Connecticut
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Federal News
President's CEQ Releases New Strategic Plan for Community Resilience
Council on Environmental Quality Press Release, October 8, 2014
As called for in the President's Climate Action Plan, the Administration has announced a Climate and Natural Resources Priority Agenda, a comprehensive commitment across the Federal Government to support resilience of our natural resources. It identifies a suite of actions the Federal Government will take to enhance the resilience of America's natural resources to the impacts of climate change and promote their ability to absorb carbon dioxide.
The actions outlined in the agenda focus on protecting important landscapes and developing new science, planning and tools to foster climate-resilient lands and waters; enhancing U.S. carbon sinks such as forests, grasslands, wetlands and coastal areas; promoting innovative 21st century infrastructure that integrates natural systems into community development, including green storm-water infrastructure; and modernizing Federal programs, investments, and services to build resilience and enhance carbon storage. Read the press release HERE. For a full list of the actions Federal agencies will take, including timelines, click HERE.
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NRCS Announces EQIP Funding
From CT NRCS
Connecticut Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) State Conservationist Lisa Coverdale announced this month that the final date to accept applications for the next Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) ranking period is Friday, December 19, 2014.
EQIP provides payments for implementing conservation practices that have a positive environmental impact, while protecting long-term agricultural production and sustainability. NRCS professionals work with producers to develop a conservation plan for their operation, design practices, and provide guidance to help implement the plan. Applications for EQIP received after the December 19 deadline will be accepted and considered, if funds are still available. Further information is HERE.
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NRCS Seeks Public Participation in Soil and Water Resources Conservation Act Survey
From CT NRCS
NRCS is seeking public participation in the RCA survey regarding the Northeast Climate Hub, a collaboration with other USDA agencies. This is your opportunity to give input to this important effort. The Soil and Water Resources Conservation Act (RCA) of 1977 requires USDA to periodically appraise the capability of the nation's natural resources to meet current and future food demands. This survey is part of the public participation phase. Data gathered will be melded with information acquired at regional Round Table discussions taking place this fall.
If you choose to participate (the more responses the better), your identity will be kept CONFIDENTIAL. Results will be compiled and presented to USDA leadership, Congress, and the public. It only takes 10-20 minutes to complete and will ask you about regional extremes in weather, water resource management, soil health, and the resilience of soil and water resources to meet future food demands.
Click HERE to access the survey.
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Other Upcoming Events
Connecticut Soil Health Workshop - "Unlock the Secrets in the Soil"
Date: Tuesday, November 4
Time: 9am - 4:30pm
Location: Scout Hall Youth Center, 28 Abbe Rd., East Windsor, CT
Cost: $20 due on event day
This workshop is designed to benefit regulators, policy makers, conservation leaders, municipal, regional and state officials, to help them understand the importance of healthy soil. It is guaranteed to change the way you think about soils! Presentations will include scientific assessments and policy information, economic benefits of soil health, short video clips, table-top demonstrations and an eye-opening rainfall simulator exercise. For further information contact John Guszkowski at 860-928-7848 or [email protected]. REGISTER HERE
Register for the 2014 Regional Conservation Partnership Network Gathering!
Date: Thursday, November 13
Time: 8:30am - 4:00pm
Location: Crowne Plaza Hotel, Nashua, NH
Cost: Free
The 2014 RCP Network Gathering -- the annual conference on collaborative conservation in the New England and New York region -- will bring together over 100 conservation professionals from across the region to connect, inform, and advance regional conservation partnerships (RCPs).
The theme for this year's RCP Network Gathering is Enhancing the Success of your RCP through Cross-Sector Collaboration. The free, daylong conference will feature a plenary panel in the morning followed by nine workshops focused on new tools, lessons, and innovative practices in conservation science, finance, outreach, and education. For more information contact Bill Labich at [email protected].
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We count on your support!
Please renew your annual membership today
The CLCC membership year runs from July 1 to June 30 and we count on your support! Your membership contribution will help give a voice to land preservation, its stewardship, and the need to secure funding for new conservation projects -- across Connecticut. Thank you!
DONATE ON-LINE OR DOWNLOAD AN ORGANIZATIONAL OR INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP FORM HERE.
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