Connecticut’s land-saving organizations, the state, cities and towns preserved about 3,000 acres in 2007 and again in 2008. To meet its preservation goal for 2023, Connecticut must preserve more than 11,000 acres every year.
{Trend in Preserved Open Space}
{open space ownership pie chart}
State law (C.G.S. 23-8(b)) sets a goal of conserving 21% of Connecticut’s land area. The Green Plan, Connecticut’s official land conservation plan, establishes 2023 as the target date. The graph titled "Combined Acreage of Preserved Land" displays progress toward the 21% goal. Current acreage of each type of land is shown in the chart labeled “Acres of Conserved Land by Ownership.” The types of land are:
• State-owned forests, parks, and wildlife areas • Class I and II watershed lands owned by water utilities • Estimated municipal open space • Estimated nonprofit lands (land trusts, The Nature Conservancy, etc.) • Federal conservation land (technically not part of the state’s 21% goal, but nonetheless important to conservation of the landscape)
From 2000 through 2003, the pace of land preservation was sufficient to keep Connecticut on track toward its 2023 goal, but acquisition slowed in 2004 through 2008.
The Council received comments during 2008 that suggest this indicator fails to take into account certain categories of protected land. This criticism is well-founded. Two categories of uncounted open space are 1) parcels acquired by land trusts and municipalities with no state assistance, and 2) conservation easements donated by landowners in association with development. The absence of an accurate inventory of protected land in Connecticut is a serious deficiency. The Department of Environmental Protection has been working on an inventory for many years, but the data will be static and not up to date when and if the project is completed. To make land preservation more strategic and cost-effective, Connecticut needs a reliable registry of protected lands.
