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The Nature Conservancy in Connecticut Connecticut Home Places We Protect Contact News Room Ways of Giving Volunteer Government Relations Corporate Council CLCC Invasive Species |
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Learn More |
Forest Legacy Program Appropriation to preserve the Lake Waubeeka Tract in Danbury
The Lake Waubeeka Forest Legacy project seeks to purchase a working forest easement over the largest remaining tract – 565 acres – of privately-owned forest within The Nature Conservancy’s Saugatuck Forest Lands Project area, Southwestern Connecticut’s most intact forest/riverine system. The Lake Waubeeka land directly abuts several other large parcels of publicly-owned conservation land. This appropriation would provide $4.5 million to help the Connecticut DEP purchase an easement over the tract.
Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) appropriation for the Silvio Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge
In 1991, the Connecticut River watershed was designated by Congress as the Silvio Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, under the jurisdiction of the US Fish and Wildlife Service. We now have an opportunity to add a very important Connecticut property to the lands that the Refuge has acquired in New Hampshire and Vermont.
The 289-acre Johnson Property in Haddam has extensive frontage along Pine Brook, a high-quality, cold-water fish habitat, and the Salmon River, the site of extensive efforts to restore migratory fish runs. In 2005, the Town of Haddam and The Nature Conservancy incurred $2 million in debt to acquire the property to prevent its imminent development. The Conte Refuge has placed a priority on acquiring this premier tract, for which it will need a $2 million appropriation under Land and Water Conservation Fund.
Wild and Scenic Designation
Last year, the US House of Representatives passed legislation to designate the Eightmile River in Salem, East Haddam and Lyme a federal Wild and Scenic River. This designation would provide federal resources and a framework within which to better protect the river’s pristine resources. We will be working this year to pass the legislation in the Senate.
Hydrological Studies of Connecticut and Thames River Watersheds
The ecosystems of rivers depend on a naturally variable flow of water. High flows in spring and fall help fish move to spawning areas and help young fish move downstream. Low flows in the summer are critical for rooting of certain aquatic plants. For much of the Connecticut and Thames Rivers and their tributaries, these seasonal flows have been altered by dams built for electricity generation and flood control. Other areas are impacted by water withdrawals used for public water supplies and industrial purposes.
The Conservancy is working with the Army Corps of Engineers on, and seeking federal funding for, hydrological studies of these rivers to help determine how management of these dams and water systems can be modified for environmental benefits while maintaining beneficial human uses such as water supply, flood control and hydropower generation.
Long Island Sound Stewardship Act
The LIS Stewardship Act that passed in 2006 authorizes up to $25 million annually for acquisition and stewardship projects around the Sound. For any money to actually be available, however, funds must be appropriated, which involves a much more difficult legislative process than authorizing. The Chapter is working with National Audubon and Save the Sound in seeking this annual appropriation.
Nature picture credits: © Jerry Monkman (Aerial view of the Salmon River in East Haddam, Connecticut. The Connecticut River is in the distance. Pine Brook enters from the right.).
