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    Gaining Ground

    Connecticut

    204,027

    Acres Protected

    That’s about 154,566 football fields!

    Land trusts have already conserved 61 million acres of private land across the nation — more than all of the national parks combined. Help us conserve another 60 million acres by the end of the decade.

    Together, let’s keep Gaining Ground.

    Visitors to Land Trust Properties

    132,242

    Visitors in 2020, more than double that of 2015.

    Percent of Land Trusts That Provide Public Access to Their Lands

    83%

    Land trusts provide opportunities to recreate and recharge.

    Number of People Served

    25,082

    Land trusts provide programs and activities to get people outside and learn about the land.

    Miles of Trails

    473

    Walking, hiking and other outdoor recreation improve people's health and well-being.

    Miles With Universal Access

    62

    Universal access trails are designed to be used by all people, regardless of ability.

    Percent of Land Trusts Who Increased Community Engagement in the Last Five Years

    63%

    Land Trusts Are Deepening Relationships With:

    • People from various racial and ethnic backgrounds

    • Older adults or those living in retirement communities

    • People who identify as LGBTQ+

    • People living with disabilities

    • Veterans

    Land Trusts Are Helping Address Community Needs, Including:

    • Youth education and development

    • Community and economic development

    • Food security and agriculture

    • Health and wellness

    • Social and environmental justice

    Demographics

    Every land trust is as unique as the community it serves.

    Connecticut land trusts are community-led and supported and protect lands and waters that help the entire state.

    Active Land Trusts

    107

    A land trust is a nonprofit that conserves land by acquiring and stewarding land or conservation easements.

    Learn more about land trusts
    Alliance Member Land Trusts

    73

    Land Trust Alliance members commit to adopting Land Trust Standards and Practices as their guiding principles.

    Learn about the land trust alliance
    Accredited Land Trusts

    29

    Accredited land trusts undergo a thorough review of their practices in governance, finance, transactions and stewardship.

    Learn about land trust accreditation

    People

    • 29,227

    • 4,411

    • 73

    • 111

    • 1,120

    Land Trust Longevity

    • 129 years old (1895)

    • 17 years old (2007)

    • 50 years old

    State Association
    Connecticut Land Conservation Council
    View website
    Percent of Land Trusts Who Increased Focus on Climate Change in the Last Five Years

    65%

    Percent of Land Trusts Receiving Funding to Address Climate Change

    13%

    Sources of Funding to Address Climate Change

    • State Department of Energy & Environmental Protection

    • U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

    • Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection

    • Environmental Protection Agency

    Land Protected

    There has been a 32% increase in Connecticut land protected by land trusts since 2010.

    Acre by acre, land trusts are helping to conserve Connecticut lands, waters and ways of life.

    2010
    2015
    2020
    Total acres protected
    154,063
    182,510
    204,027
    +32%
    Under easement
    52,531
    61,572
    66,865
    +27%
    Owned
    63,145
    82,224
    100,170
    +59%
    Acquired and reconveyed
    20,624
    24,662
    21,467
    +4%
    Protected by other means
    17,822
    20,104
    15,523
    0%

    Disclaimer: Land trusts conserve land in many different ways and every project is unique. Category totals may change depending on how acres are reported by survey respondents to reflect the most current data and minimize double-counting. In some instances, the total may be greater than the sum of the separate categories due to organizations that provided total acres not broken down by category.

    Percent of Land Owned and Under Easement Held by an Accredited Land Trust

    64%

    Source: 2020 National Land Trust Census

    Total Public Funding for Conservation From 1998-2017

    $657 million

    Source: Trust for Public Land's Conservation Almanac

    Acres of Land Lost to Development From 2012-2017

    6,900

    Source: NRCS - Natural Resources Inventory

    This information reflects data collected in the National Land Trust Census, the longest-running comprehensive survey of private land conservation in America. Learn more about the Census and see which land trusts participated in the 2020 National Land Trust Census.

    Making a Difference

    Connecticut land trusts are gaining ground.

    Land trusts across the state are helping find solutions to some of Connecticut's most pressing issues.

    • Protecting land for future generations: The accredited New Haven Land Trust manages the Long Wharf Nature Preserve, a 15-acre preserve that lives in the shadows of New Haven's I-95 corridor and seamlessly merges with the beautiful Long Island Sound. The preserve has become an oasis for wildlife conservation and a place where visitors and residents can reconnect with nature.

      Read more

    • Saving family farms: The accredited Connecticut Farmland Trust worked with John Wraight to take advantage of the federal tax incentive in order to protect his family farm, which his wife calls "something of an oasis."

      Read more

    • Saving wildlife habitat: The Alvonia Land Conservancy worked with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to create a habitat for the New England cottontails, along with other local species, on 28 acres in two of its preserves.

      Read more

    Land Trusts Working in Connecticut

    Land Trust Alliance member land trusts, listed below, commit to adopting Land Trust Standards and Practices as their guiding principles.

    Access Fund
    Access Fund
    Boulder, CO
    57 acres protected in CT
    American Farmland Trust
    American Farmland Trust
    Northampton, MA
    472 acres protected in CT
    Appalachian Trail Conservancy
    Appalachian Trail Conservancy
    Harpers Ferry, WV
    1,702 acres protected in CT
    Aspetuck Land Trust
    Aspetuck Land Trust
    Westport, CT
    1,775 acres protected in CT
    Avalonia Land Conservancy
    Avalonia Land Conservancy
    Old Mystic, CT
    5,118 acres protected in CT
    Berlin Land Trust
    Berlin Land Trust
    Berlin, CT
    3,430 acres protected in CT
    Bethany Land Trust, Inc.
    Bethany Land Trust, Inc.
    Woodbridge, CT
    3,790 acres protected in CT
    Bethel Land Trust, Inc.
    Bethel Land Trust, Inc.
    Bethel, CT
    226 acres protected in CT
    Bethlehem Land Trust
    Bethlehem Land Trust
    Bethlehem, CT
    351 acres protected in CT
    Bolton Land Trust
    Bolton Land Trust
    Bolton, CT
    310 acres protected in CT
    Branford Land Trust
    Branford Land Trust
    Branford, CT
    1,404 acres protected in CT
    Burlington Land Trust
    Burlington Land Trust
    Burlington, CT
    248 acres protected in CT
    Candlewood Valley Regional Land Trust
    Candlewood Valley Regional Land Trust
    Danbury, CT
    478 acres protected in CT
    Cheshire Land Trust
    Cheshire Land Trust
    Cheshire, CT
    627 acres protected in CT
    Colchester Land Trust
    Colchester Land Trust
    Colchester, CT
    730 acres protected in CT
    Colebrook Land Conservancy
    Colebrook Land Conservancy
    Colebrook, CT
    1,306 acres protected in CT
    Connecticut Farmland Trust
    Connecticut Farmland Trust
    Hartford, CT
    5,845 acres protected in CT
    Connecticut Forest and Park Association
    Connecticut Forest and Park Association
    Rockfall, CT
    2,150 acres protected in CT
    Darien Land Trust
    Darien Land Trust
    Darien, CT
    190 acres protected in CT
    East Haddam Land Trust
    East Haddam Land Trust
    East Haddam, CT
    705 acres protected in CT
    East Haven Land Trust
    East Haven Land Trust
    East Haven, CT
    136 acres protected in CT
    Essex Land Trust
    Essex Land Trust
    Essex, CT
    650 acres protected in CT
    Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust
    Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust
    Woodbury, CT
    2,400 acres protected in CT
    Goshen Land Trust
    Goshen Land Trust
    Goshen, CT
    728 acres protected in CT
    Granby Land Trust
    Granby Land Trust
    Granby, CT
    3,297 acres protected in CT
    Great Meadows Conservation Trust
    Great Meadows Conservation Trust
    Glastonbury, CT
    189 acres protected in CT
    Greenwich Land Trust
    Greenwich Land Trust
    Greenwich, CT
    845 acres protected in CT
    Groton Open Space Association, Inc.
    Groton Open Space Association, Inc.
    Groton, CT
    1,736 acres protected in CT
    Guilford Land Conservation Trust
    Guilford Land Conservation Trust
    Guilford, CT
    3,165 acres protected in CT
    Haddam Land Trust, Inc.
    Haddam Land Trust, Inc.
    Haddam, CT
    767 acres protected in CT
    Hamden Land Conservation Trust
    Hamden Land Conservation Trust
    Hamden, CT
    104 acres protected in CT
    Hartland Land Trust
    Hartland Land Trust
    East Hartland, CT
    238 acres protected in CT
    Housatonic Valley Association
    Housatonic Valley Association
    Cornwall Bridge, CT
    6,614 acres protected in CT
    Joshua's Trust (Joshua's Tract Conservation and Historic Trust)
    Joshua's Trust (Joshua's Tract Conservation and Historic Trust)
    Mansfield Center, CT
    4,670 acres protected in CT
    Kent Land Trust
    Kent Land Trust
    Kent, CT
    2,386 acres protected in CT
    Kongscut Land Trust, Inc.
    Kongscut Land Trust, Inc.
    Glastonbury, CT
    370 acres protected in CT
    Land Conservancy of Ridgefield, Inc.
    Land Conservancy of Ridgefield, Inc.
    Ridgefield, CT
    710 acres protected in CT
    Litchfield Land Trust, Inc.
    Litchfield Land Trust, Inc.
    Litchfield, CT
    3,970 acres protected in CT
    Lyme Land Conservation Trust
    Lyme Land Conservation Trust
    Lyme, CT
    2,833 acres protected in CT
    Manchester Land Conservation Trust
    Manchester Land Conservation Trust
    Manchester, CT
    528 acres protected in CT
    Mianus River Gorge, Inc.
    Mianus River Gorge, Inc.
    Bedford, NY
    69 acres protected in CT
    Middlebury Land Trust, Inc.
    Middlebury Land Trust, Inc.
    Middlebury, CT
    2,122 acres protected in CT
    Morris Land Trust
    Morris Land Trust
    Morris, CT
    238 acres protected in CT
    National Park Trust
    National Park Trust
    Rockville, MD
    New Canaan Land Trust
    New Canaan Land Trust
    New Canaan, CT
    395 acres protected in CT
    New England Forestry Foundation
    New England Forestry Foundation
    Littleton, MA
    2,222 acres protected in CT
    Newtown Forest Association
    Newtown Forest Association
    Newtown, CT
    1,434 acres protected in CT
    Norfolk Land Trust
    Norfolk Land Trust
    Norfolk, CT
    4,339 acres protected in CT
    North Branford Land Conservation Trust
    North Branford Land Conservation Trust
    North Branford, CT
    273 acres protected in CT
    Northeast Wilderness Trust
    Northeast Wilderness Trust
    Montpelier, VT
    1,135 acres protected in CT
    Northeastern Cave Conservancy, Inc.
    Northeastern Cave Conservancy, Inc.
    Schoharie, NY
    Northern Connecticut Land Trust
    Northern Connecticut Land Trust
    Somers, CT
    1,900 acres protected in CT
    Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy
    Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy
    Kent, CT
    12,722 acres protected in CT
    Norwalk Land Trust
    Norwalk Land Trust
    Norwalk, CT
    87 acres protected in CT
    Old Saybrook Land Trust
    Old Saybrook Land Trust
    Old Saybrook, CT
    363 acres protected in CT
    Prospect Land Trust
    Prospect Land Trust
    Prospect, CT
    Redding Land Trust, Inc.
    Redding Land Trust, Inc.
    Redding Center, CT
    1,830 acres protected in CT
    Roxbury Land Trust
    Roxbury Land Trust
    Roxbury, CT
    3,865 acres protected in CT
    Salem Land Trust, Inc.
    Salem Land Trust, Inc.
    Salem, CT
    896 acres protected in CT
    Salisbury Association, Inc.
    Salisbury Association, Inc.
    Salisbury, CT
    3,576 acres protected in CT
    Sharon Land Trust
    Sharon Land Trust
    Sharon, CT
    3,198 acres protected in CT
    Shelton Land Conservation Trust
    Shelton Land Conservation Trust
    Shelton, CT
    377 acres protected in CT
    Simsbury Land Trust
    Simsbury Land Trust
    Simsbury, CT
    894 acres protected in CT
    Southington Land Conservation Trust
    Southington Land Conservation Trust
    Southington, CT
    44 acres protected in CT
    Steep Rock Association
    Steep Rock Association
    Washington Depot, CT
    5,681 acres protected in CT
    Suffield Land Conservancy
    Suffield Land Conservancy
    Suffield, CT
    600 acres protected in CT
    The Conservation Fund
    The Conservation Fund
    Arlington, VA
    1,674 acres protected in CT
    The Cornwall Conservation Trust, Inc.
    The Cornwall Conservation Trust, Inc.
    West Cornwall, CT
    2,735 acres protected in CT
    The Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust
    The Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust
    Washington, DC
    438 acres protected in CT
    The Nature Conservancy
    The Nature Conservancy
    Arlington, VA
    47,111 acres protected in CT
    The New Hartford Land Trust, Inc.
    The New Hartford Land Trust, Inc.
    New Hartford, CT
    876 acres protected in CT
    The New Roxbury Land Trust
    The New Roxbury Land Trust
    Woodstock, CT
    17 acres protected in CT
    The Trust for Public Land, National Office
    The Trust for Public Land, National Office
    San Francisco, CA
    5,957 acres protected in CT
    The Trustees of Reservations
    The Trustees of Reservations
    Boston, MA
    610 acres protected in CT
    The Warren Land Trust, Inc.
    The Warren Land Trust, Inc.
    Warren, CT
    1,130 acres protected in CT
    Traprock Ridge Land Conservancy
    Traprock Ridge Land Conservancy
    Bloomfield, CT
    295 acres protected in CT
    Waterford Land Trust, Inc.
    Waterford Land Trust, Inc.
    Waterford, CT
    326 acres protected in CT
    Watertown Land Trust, Inc.
    Watertown Land Trust, Inc.
    Watertown, CT
    284 acres protected in CT
    Westbrook Land Conservation Trust
    Westbrook Land Conservation Trust
    Westbrook, CT
    191 acres protected in CT
    Wilton Land Conservation Trust
    Wilton Land Conservation Trust
    Wilton, CT
    815 acres protected in CT
    Winchester Land Trust
    Winchester Land Trust
    Winchester Center, CT
    542 acres protected in CT
    Wolcott Land Conservation Trust
    Wolcott Land Conservation Trust
    Wolcott, CT
    229 acres protected in CT
    Wyndham Land Trust, Inc.
    Wyndham Land Trust, Inc.
    Pomfret Center, CT
    5,163 acres protected in CT