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eNews | October 31, 2019

News from D.C. we can all celebrate.

Amidst the chaos of current events in Washington, D.C., there was some good news for Connecticut’s land conservation efforts:  Congressman Joe Courtney announced that DEEP is slated to receive funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) for the future protection of hundreds of acres of land in Eastern Connecticut to enhance state parks and wildlife management areas.

Permanently authorized last year, the LWCF takes a portion of revenue from offshore oil drilling to help pay for the conservation of public lands throughout the country. The latest news in Connecticut is especially welcome considering that Congress regularly withholds up to 2/3 of the funding that the LWCF is authorized to receive each year.

There is a fix in the works:  The Land and Water Conservation Fund Permanent Funding Act would make $900 million available each year without needing to be appropriated. We’re fortunate in Connecticut to have a Congressional Delegation that gets it! Now is a good time to thank them for the land conservation funding for Eastern CT and ask that they support legislation to provide full, authorized funding to LWCF.

That would be news from D.C. we can all celebrate. Sincerely,

‌ Amy Blaymore Paterson, Esq. Executive Director abpaterson@ctconservation.org P.S. You can find a Connecticut LWCF factsheet here >> Photo of Chapman Falls at Devils Hopyard State Park from Pixabay.

CLCC News

2020 CT Land Conservation Conference Call for Presentations - deadline is 11/4/19

CLCC is now accepting workshop proposals for the 2020 Connecticut Land Conservation Conference, scheduled for March 21 at Wesleyan University. View more details here >> Find application here >> Photo credit: Lisa O'Brien

2020 Diana Atwood Johnson OSWA Photo Contest Now accepting photos - deadline is 2/14/20

Photos are now being accepted for CLCC and CT DEEP's 4th annual amateur digital photo contest featuring properties protected under the  Open Space & Watershed Land Acquisition (OSWA) and  Urban Green/Community Garden Grant Programs.   View details here >> View previous honorees here >> Photo credit: Shelley Harms

Land Trusts in the News

Town of Windsor The Trust for Public Land

Celebrating the Protection of Brown's Harvest Tomorrow! 1:00 p.m. All are welcome! 1911 Poquonock Ave, Windsor On Friday, November 1 st , public and private partners, supporters, the Brown family, and The Trust for Public Land are gathering on the farm at 1:00 p.m. to honor the protection of Brown’s Harvest . Th e Trust for Public Land worked with federal, state, and local agencies to permanently protect the family farm through the sale of an agricultural conservation easement.  View news coverage here >> Photo shared by The Trust for Public Land

Look for additional stories in #LoveYourCTLandTrust eNewsletter >>

Land Trust Resources

Upcoming Workshops, Events & Conferences

Tomorrow! CLCC Model Conservation & Forever Wild Easement Workshop (November 1) - Middletown, CT - Learn about CLCC's new 2019 model documents for land trusts, landowners, towns and their attorneys. View details here >> Climate Change: Is There Still Hope for Humanity? An Evening with Bill McKibben (November 11) - New Canaan, CT - Hosted by the New Canaan Land Trust. View details here >> 2019 Regional Conservation Partnership Network Gathering (November 13) - Amherst, MA - The theme of this year's event is "Natural Climate Solutions for All". View details here >> ArcGIS Online (morning) and Story Map (afternoon) Hands-on Workshop (December 11) - Haddam, CT - Offered by the experts at UConn Center for Land Use Education and Research. View details here >>

An Event at the Connecticut Forum

Climate Crisis Friday, November 22, 2019, 7:30 p.m. A call-to-action conversation about climate change. From public policy initiatives and tech innovations, to conservation strategies and solutions for social justice issues caused by global warming, a distinguished panel of experts will discuss where we go from here and how best to effect change. Stop by CLCC's table and say hi! View details >>

State News Headlines

Governor's Council on Climate Change: Notice of Request for Public Input

The CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is seeking public input on Executive Order No. 3 (E.O.3), issued last month by Governor Lamont for the purpose of strengthening the state’s efforts to mitigate climate change.  Among other goals, E.O. 3 seeks to re-establish and expand the work of the  Governor’s Council on Climate Change  (GC3) to include adaptation and resiliency, expand its membership, and direct DEEP to identify pathways to a 100% clean energy grid by 2040. This is a critical opportunity to weigh in on the importance of investing in land conservation and incorporating natural climate solutions into Connecticut's goals and policies to mitigate climate change.   Comments should be submitted to DEEP.ClimateChange@ct.gov Deadline: November 8, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. View notice of Request for Public Input here >>

Funding Opportunities

Sustainable CT has launched its Community Match Fund -- an innovative program to provide fast, flexible funding to support projects that align with Sustainable CT actions -- including land use and conservation .  View details here >>

USDA-NRCS is accepting proposals for the Regional Conservation Partnership Program. Deadline: 12/3/19 View details here >> The 1772 Foundation and the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation are accepting letters of inquiry for 1:1 matching grants up to $10,000. Deadline: 12/31/19 View details here >> U.S. Forest Service is now accepting applications for the FY 2020 Community Forest Program. Deadline: 1/6/20 V iew details here >>

Job Opportunities

Program Coordinator - Connecticut Land Conservation Council Executive Director - Steep Rock Association Director of Development and Programs - Avalonia Land Conservancy Greenhouse Coordinator - Creative Living Community of Connecticut

Tip of the Month

Digital Fundraising: Common Mistakes to Fix ASAP

"Why aren’t more people supporting your nonprofit? What are you doing wrong? ... If you’re forgetting about digital fundraising and the best practices you should follow to get online donations, there’s your answer..." Read entire blog >> Photo credit: Karen Huber

Connecticut Land Conservation Council deKoven House 27 Washington Street Middletown, CT 06457 860-852-5512 ctconservation.org

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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. ctconservation.org ©2019 Connecticut Land Conservation Council. All rights reserved except photos.