Council on Environmental Quality

image 1

Indicators:  Farm, Forest, Wetland

Preserved Land

Land-saving organizations, the state, cities and towns collectively preserved about 6,000 acres in 2006, the same as in 2005. To meet its goal for 2023, Connecticut must preserve more than 10,000 acres every year.

Preserved Land Charts

State law (C.G.S. 23-8(b)) sets a goal of conserving 21% of Connecticut’s land area. In 1998, Governor John Rowland established 2023 as the target date for meeting this goal.

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.

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 2006.