Educate. Protect. Inspire. Connect...
with you
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With our conference postponed, the legislative office building closed, and CLCC staff working remotely, I’ve spent much of this week talking with land trust friends and colleagues about how we can stay connected and help our communities during these uncertain and stressful times.
Here’s a short-list of some suggestions we gathered, all subject to any CDC, state, and local COVID-19 guidelines and mandates:
- Promote your properties and trails. Expand your communications to include representatives of your town government, senior and community centers, libraries, etc. Be sure to provide them with trail maps and other information for broader dissemination. Spending time outdoors is one of the surest ways to improve our health and happiness. If ever there was a time for that, it’s now!
- Share your nature programs. A great way to help Connecticut parents and caregivers faced with home-bound kids is to share your land trust’s ideas and materials for outdoor experiential learning. Maybe you will inspire a budding conservation leader or new land trust volunteer along the way.
- Offer up a preserve parking lot as a staging area. Nonprofits and/or local agencies that are gathering meals or other supplies for community distribution may appreciate the opportunity to set-up outside.
- Compile and publicize a list of local farm stands. Purchasing from a local farm is a way to avoid crowded stores, eat healthy, and keep farmers farming.
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How are you staying connected? How are you handling the COVID-19 crisis? How can we help? In the coming weeks, CLCC will offer a series of virtual, regional roundtables to give land trusts a chance to talk, share, and connect during this unprecedented time for all of us. Stay tuned for details.
Meanwhile, stay healthy, keep safe, get outside, and
#LoveYourCommunity.
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Amy Blaymore Paterson, Esq.
Executive Director
P.S. Although CLCC's office is closed, our staff is available via email and phone. Please call my cell at (860) 614-8537 if we may be of assistance.
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2020 CT Land Conservation Conference Updates
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As you are aware, out of an abundance of caution,
CLCC announced on March 10 the postponement of our
2020 Connecticut Land Conservation Conference. In addition to announcing the
Diana Atwood Johnson OSWA Photo Contest and
Excellence In Conservation Award honorees, we should be ready to share a tentative postponement date and details regarding registration transfers, sponsorships, and refunds next week. We appreciate your patience.
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Please join us in welcoming Doris Johnson to the CLCC Board of Directors and Rebecca Dahl to our staff as Program Coordinator.
As the Outreach and Education Coordinator for
CT DEEP's Environmental Justice Program
and an active member of the state's land conservation community,
Doris Johnson
works to build connections and relationships between people, their communities, and the environment all across the state.
Rebecca Dahl
brings a variety of experiences in community outreach and partnership development from her previous work at conservation nonprofits including, most recently, Thousand Islands Land Trust in Clayton, NY.
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Kevin Case, you will be missed -- big time!
It is with mixed emotions that we send our best wishes to
Kevin Case as he moves on from the Land Trust Alliance to serve as the
President and CEO of the Mohonk Preserve in New Paltz, NY. As a founding member of CLCC, most recently serving on the board and as our Treasurer, Kevin's steady, thoughtful, and inspired leadership has been pivotal to CLCC's organizational growth and the overall success of Connecticut's land trust community.
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Governor's Council on Climate Change
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All
Governor's Council on Climate Change (GC3)
meetings will be conducted via conference calls and Zoom
for the immediate future.
Call-in information will be posted on the
GC3 Meetings webpage
and
GC3 Working Groups webpage
in order to continue to facilitate public participation.
Source: Office of CT DEEP Commissioner, Katie Dykes
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List of COVID-19 resources prepared by the Land Trust Alliance New York Program with assistance from Alliance Conservation Defense Director Leslie Ratley-Beach.
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Other Resources & Opportunities
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Additional Resources on Vegetative Management of Right-of-Ways now available on CLCC's website courtesy of Kim Stoner of the CT Agricultural Station.
View webpage here >>
Land Trust Alliance Advocacy Days have gone virtual in light of COVID-19. Join advocacy trainings and meetings online from March 30th - April 1st.
Call for Presentations
! The Regional Conservation Partnership Network invites submissions of workshop proposals for their 2020 Network Gathering at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Deadline: April 17, 2020
UConn's Natural Resources Conservation Academy (NRCA) has announced its 2020 programming
for teens & adults interested in working together on local conservation-based service-learning projects.
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Funding Opportunity for Land Trust Mergers
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New Grant Announcement!
The Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck Foundation's Building Enduring Land Trusts Initiative
For land trusts actively engaged in the merger process,
grant funds are available to cover the actual cost of a merger and
the general operating costs of the merged organization,
on a multi-year basis.
CLCC will host a series of virtual regional roundtables for those land trusts interested in this initiative. Stay tuned for dates and more information.
Deadline to apply is May 27, 2020
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Finding Your Nonprofit's Normal In Unsettling Times
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This week, we're feeling particularly inspired by
David Allen's
words:
In the middle of the extraordinary, reach for the ordinary. In the midst of the abnormal, reach for the normal. In the middle of fear, reach for kindness. Social distancing need not be social isolation.
Have a tip for next month or thoughts to share on this one? Let us know!
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Connecticut Land Conservation
Council
deKoven House
27 Washington Street
Middletown, CT 06457
860-852-5512
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The Connecticut Land Conservation Council advocates for land conservation, stewardship and funding, and works to ensure the long term strength and viability of the land conservation community.
©2020 Connecticut Land Conservation Council. All rights reserved except photos as noted.
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