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Permanent Protection of State Conservation Lands
Preservation Victory for the Southbury Training School
With strong, unanimous, bipartisan support, the legislature voted to approve H.B. 6542, which provides for the permanent protection of 825 acres of the state-owned Southbury Training School through a transfer of custody to the Department of Agriculture (DoAg) and a grant of conservation easement to a non-profit conservation organization (the Southbury Land Trust). CLCC worked with its partners, including Audubon Connecticut, the Working Lands Alliance, and the Farm Bureau, to ensure that this bill would provide for a strong and comprehensive easement to assure the high quality stewardship and protection of the land's agricultural and conservation resources. Kudos and congratulations to the Southbury Land Trust, Southbury First Selectman Ed Edelson, and others in the Southbury community for their years of tireless work to achieve this conservation victory.
Action: Please thank Governor Malloy and DoAg Commissioner Steven Reviczky for their steadfast commitment to the protection of this critical parcel of farmland, as well as the leadership in the House and Senate for their support of this bill:
Authorization for Haddam Land Swap Expires
The 2013 Conveyance Bill included a section which repealed the 2011 provision authorizing the "Haddam Land Swap" -- a proposed transaction to exchange state-owned open space overlooking the Connecticut River in Haddam for 89 acres of forestland owned by a private landowner. CLCC and other conservation organizations opposed the proposed swap on grounds that it was not fully vetted in accordance with existing DEEP policies on land exchanges. The issue triggered our work in forming the State Lands Working Group in partnership with the Rivers Alliance of Connecticut, Audubon Connecticut, the Connecticut Forest & Park Association (CFPA), Sierra Club - CT, and other organizations seeking to identify administrative and legislative strategies to better project state conservation land.
Action: Please thank Representative Phil Miller for his leadership in including this repeal provision in this year's Conveyance Bill.
But there is more work to be done ...
State Lands Working Group continues to work on legislation
CLCC and our partners made major strides in crafting legislation to address the issue of state conservation lands protection, but ran out of time this session to move a bill forward. Plans this summer include continuing our work, in consultation with DEEP, the Attorney General's office and members of the legislature, in refining the language to enable the state to implement a process to identify, prioritize and permanently protect state lands of high conservation value. A panel presentation before the Environment Committee is being planned in advance of the 2014 session.
Conveyance Bill process in need of a re-haul
The annual Conveyance Bill provides authority to convey certain state-owned lands, including property owned by DEEP, yet is devoid of any meaningful process for public notice and review. Last minute amendments, vague and often confusing language, and an overall difficulty in obtaining details about the proposed transactions are problems we are looking to remedy in next year's session.
Proposed firearms facility in State Forest stopped ... but what is next?
CLCC joined CFPA, Audubon Connecticut and a coalition of Glastonbury residents and officials in opposing a proposal to site a 55,000 square foot state firearms facility on 30 acres of the Meshomasic State Forest. Fortunately, the proposal was withdrawn. However, the issue remains: Despite the original conservation intent in acquiring state conservation lands and the associated expectation that they be preserved in trust on behalf of the citizens of Connecticut, these assets are largely unprotected.
Last minute ATV Bill raises concerns about threats to State Forests
In the last minutes of the session -- without a public hearing or floor debate -- an amendment was added to S.B. 190, which, if signed by Governor Malloy, would require DEEP to implement its 2002 All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) Policy and Procedures on or before July 1, 2014. When DEEP published that policy, it stated that the policy would not take effect until legislation regarding registration of ATVs was enacted. Such legislation has never been passed.
In light of the potential for adverse impacts to state lands from ATV use, CLCC shares the concerns expressed by CFPA, Audubon Connecticut, The Nature Conservancy and others, about the last minute nature of this amendment and strongly contends that more time is needed to thoroughly review and evaluate all ATV polices and their readiness for implementation. We will continue to provide you with updates on this important issue in the coming days as we evaluate our options for redress. | 