(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont, along with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and the Housatonic Valley Association, today announced the successful protection of 1,364 acres of watershed lands in the Town of Winchester.
This is the largest conservation project to leverage federal funding from the Highlands Conservation Act in its 20-year history, and Winchester is the first environmental justice community to benefit from these funds. The Highlands Conservation Act covers 3.4 million acres in portions of Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania and is one of the most significant sources of federal land protection grant funding available in Connecticut.
“Open space is one of the top contributors to our great quality of life here in Connecticut, and the land protected under the Highlands Conservation Act is among the most beautiful land around,” Governor Lamont said. “I thank our Congressional delegation and federal agency partners for their efforts to secure land protection funding for our state, as well as our local land trust and conservation partners. This is a great example of federal, state, and local working together to accomplish big things.”
“I am proud that 1,364 acres of land in Winchester are now protected thanks to funding from the Highlands Conservation Act,” U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal said. “This historic conservation will boost outdoor recreation, supply clean drinking water, and protect wildlife – ensuring that Connecticut’s highlands remain an environmental treasure for generations to come.”
“Today’s announcement marks a historic milestone in our fight to conserve land in western Connecticut,” U.S. Senator Chris Murphy said. “I spent years working to reauthorize the Highlands Conservation Act so we could maintain federal funding to support projects like this one. Safeguarding Winchester’s watershed land will help keep public drinking water clean and protect our wildlife and forests for future generations to enjoy.”
“I have been a longtime supporter of the Highlands Conservation Act, which has helped protect more than 16,000 acres of land across the Northeast over the last twenty years,” U.S. Congressman John B. Larson (CT-01) said. “I’m thrilled to join the Housatonic Valley Association to announce the preservation of 1,364 acres in Winchester. This project, the largest-ever preservation effort supported by the Highlands Conservation Act in Connecticut, will ensure residents have access to both safe drinking water and recreational opportunities to enjoy our region’s natural beauty. I commend the local advocates, donors, and state leaders for their work to protect the community’s public water supply and ensure the preservation of this land for years to come.”
“Being one of the largest conservation projects in over a decade, the permanent protection of this land provides numerous benefits to the residents of Connecticut,” DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes said. “It will enhance the quality of life for Winchester and surrounding municipalities’ residents, who will have access to portions of the property for passive recreation use. It will also protect key watersheds, drinking water supply, and habitats for a diversity of wildlife. This conservation project and others like it also address climate change in a meaningful way by fortifying and preserving forestland. I’m grateful for the partnership with the USFWS, Housatonic Valley Association, the Town of Winchester, and the private volunteers and donors who helped make this project successful.”
“The Highlands Conservation Act is a phenomenal tool, allowing state agencies to conserve priority areas across this vital landscape,” U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Region Deputy Regional Director Kyla Hastie said. “We are a proud partner in this effort and applaud Connecticut DEEP and the Housatonic Valley Association for their focus on conservation in historically marginalized communities.”
“Conservation at this scale requires the creativity and commitment of many partners,” Tim Abbott, conservation director for the Housatonic Valley Association, said. “I’m deeply grateful to the town leadership for pursuing this opportunity, but perhaps even more impressive is the unanimous support that this effort received from town voters at a selectmen’s meeting to approve the transaction.”
“The serenity and beauty of the natural resources of Winchester are the foundation and bedrock of our community,” Winchester Town Administrator Todd Arcelaschi said. “The actions of the Town of Winchester in seeking to safeguard the town water supply, as well as protect the natural beauty and charm of the area will pay dividends well into the future. By securing these easements, we not only guarantee the protection of our water supply, we also safeguard the habitat of the region’s wildlife allowing future generations to experience the beauty of northwestern Connecticut landscape and wildlife.”
Conservation easements placed over these municipal water company lands will ensure that they remain a source of clean drinking water for the City of Winsted, providing additional safeguards for wildlife habitat and a planned public access trail that will avoid sensitive areas. The property has been protected through the Highlands Conservation Act, matched by DEEP’s Recreation and Natural Heritage Trust Fund, and additional donations raised privately through the Housatonic Valley Association’s Greenprint Partners Pledge Fund. The Housatonic Valley Association also provided a Baseline Documentation Report as part of its contribution to the project that documents the current condition of the more than two dozen parcels that comprise the conserved watershed lands. The Town of Winchester still owns the land and operates its municipal water company.
“In addition to safeguarding our drinking water, the Town Water Company land connects to permanently protected open space owned by the Winchester Land Trust and other conservation groups,” Winchester Land Trust President Jen Perga said. “The new easement creates a large corridor of protected land for animals to move north and south through town.”
Since 2004, the Highlands Conservation Act has brought nearly $25 million to Connecticut and protected more than 7,257 acres in 15 Highlands communities. A recent reauthorization of the act provides a mechanism to expand funding eligibility beyond the initial 26 Connecticut municipalities within the Highlands region. Since then, 11 more Connecticut municipalities have been included, with the potential for further expansion.
