Regional Partnerships CLCC Conference March 18 2017 Margot Burns: - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Regional Partnerships CLCC Conference March 18 2017 Margot Burns: - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Stronger Together: Building Regional Partnerships CLCC Conference March 18 2017 Margot Burns: Environmental Planner, Lower CT River & Coastal Region Land Trust Exchange Mary Ellen Lemay: Coordinator, Fairfield County Regional

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Stronger Together: Building Regional Partnerships

CLCC Conference – March 18 2017

Margot Burns: Environmental Planner, Lower CT River & Coastal Region Land Trust Exchange Mary Ellen Lemay: Coordinator, Fairfield County Regional Conservation Partnership Connie Manes: Manager, Litchfield Hills Greenprint Collaborative

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Land Conservation in CT….

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What is an RCP?

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Regional Conservation Partnership

An informal network that encourages and enables constructive collaboration without interfering with the autonomy of the participating organizations and agencies. Its aim is to protect large-scale ecological processes on which our society relies for clean air, clean water, and native biodiversity. There are currently more than 40 RCP’s in New England.

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What do RCPs do?

  • Landscape-scale visioning
  • Connectivity/network
  • Access to funding and partners working with larger
  • rganizations
  • Broader base for public outreach and awareness
  • Improved efficiency and effectiveness through sharing
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RCP’s encourage a vision of large connected landscape for Wildlife, Water, and Recreation

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RCP’s Connect People to create Connected

Landscapes

People representing organizations, businesses, and government agencies collaborate to protect, connect, and restore the natural landscape of the region by creating this informal network (RCP)

  • Strengthen Partners through efficiency, access to larger funding,

education, outreach, public awareness, advocacy and engagement.

  • Increase quality of stewardship
  • Increase the Pace and Scale of connectivity and conservation
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Fairfield County Regional Conservation Partnership

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The Quilt of 23 Partner Towns

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Our Partnership

Aspetuck Land Trust Bethel Land Trust Brookfield Conservation Commission Brookfield Open Space Legacy, Inc. Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Connecticut Land Conservation Council Darien Land Trust Earthplace Fairfield Conservation Commission Greenwich Conservation Commission Greenwich Land Conservation Trust, Inc. Harbor Watch Highstead

Housatonic Valley Association Ives Trail Task Force Land Conservancy of Ridgefield Land Trust of Danbury Metro CT Council of Governments Monroe Conservation Commission Monroe Land Trust and Tree Conservancy New Canaan Land Conservation Trust, Inc. New Fairfield Land Trust Newtown Conservation Commission Newtown Forest Association Norwalk Land Conservation Trust, Inc. Norwalk River Watershed Association

The FCRCP comprises more than 42 local and regional conservation

  • rganizations and government agencies in Fairfield County.

Redding Conservation Commission Redding Land Trust Ridgefield Conservation Commission Shelton Conservation Commission Shelton Land Trust Sierra Club of CT Southwest CT Conservation District Stamford Land Conservation Trust Still River Watershed Alliance Stratford Conservation Commission The Nature Conservancy CT Chapter Trumbull Conservation Commission Western Connecticut Council of Governments Wilton Conservation Commission Wilton Land Conservation Trust

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Fairfield County Regional Conservation Partnership

Why do we exist?

Because, in the face of climate change… it is critical to protect & connect

  • pen spaces to

allow for the free flow of

What we do?

We encourage

  • Collaboration
  • Conservation
  • Stewardship

How we do it?

Through

  • Outreach &

Education

  • Mapping
  • Woods Forums
  • Project

Endorsement

  • Habitat

Enhancement

  • Land Use Policy

updates

  • Strategic Action

Plan Implementation

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It takes time! Be patient. Quality Partners not Quantity.

2008 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

River to River Hudson to Housatonic. 2 RCP’s begin to weave together Complete Strategic Action Plan

SAP Bill Labich Convened 5 local land trusts June 2008

Begin adding remaining 13 towns in Fairfield County On the Road, Town by Town. Visualizing Connectivity Sharing tools “Year of the MAPS”of highest conservation value Envisioning the landscape Co- Coordinator

  • n board:

Begin Strategic Action Plan

SAP

20 members from 9 towns Create a Regional Vision

23 towns 43 Partners

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Clear Consistent Message

Develop Tool Kit

Conservation maps, brochure, needs assessment for subregions, next steps for each partner .

Outreach and Education

Town to town.. In- person Landscape Ecology 101 encouraging connectivity across town lines

Woods Forums

Programs encouraging stewardship and conservation .

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Look for the “Unexpected Partner”

  • CT Pollinator Health Act May 2016
  • DOT mandated to increase native plant and

pollinator habitat along state roads. “Bee Highway”

  • DOT had to reach out to partners.
  • Unexpected Partners: DOT, Merritt Parkway

Conservancy, WestCOG

  • DOT is the largest landowner in the state, imagine

the impact of large scale native plantings.

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Hudson to Housatonic RCP : H2H A Landmark Partnership “Making the quilt bigger” A blueprint for the urban to rural connection

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Litchfield Hills Greenprint Collaborative

Aton Forest Colebrook Land Conservancy Connecticut Farmland Trust Cornwall Conservation Trust Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust Goshen Land Trust Hartland Land Trust Housatonic Valley Association Kent Land Trust Lake Waramaug Task Force Litchfield Land Trust Morris Land Trust Naromi Land Trust New Hartford Land Trust Norfolk Land Trust Salisbury Land Trust Sharon Land Trust Steep Rock Association Trust for Public Land Warren Land Trust Watertown Land Trust Weantinoge Heritage Land Trust White Memorial Foundation Winchester Land Trust

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Greenprint + AmeriCorps NCCC

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UCONN’s Natural Resources Conservation Academy

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Summer Interns

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Northwest Hills Council of Governments – Regional Trails Project 2017

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The Road to OSWA

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Lessons Learned?

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The Lower Connecticut River Valley Council of Governments Regional Conservation Partnership

Stronger Together: Building Regional Partnership March 18, 2017

Connecticut Land Conservation Conference

Form Follows Function Creating the base and the case for conservation through collaboration and the regional land use planning process. Margot Burns

LISRC

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Regional Planning Organizations of Connecticut

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The region surrounds the Connecticut River Gateway Conservation Zone, A 30,000 acre area surrounding the lower 20+ miles of the Connecticut River. Since 1974 the Connecticut River Gateway Commission has been charged with protecting the scenic and ecological properties of this unique landscape, the only major river along the east coast of the United States whose mouth is relatively undeveloped

Photo: Robert Perron – Lieutenant River and the Lohmann Buck Twining Preserve - OLLT

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1972 - Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge :

USFWS

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1994 - estuary of the lower river was designated as a Ramsar Estuary of Global Importance 1997 the entire watershed of the Connecticut River became the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge (Salmon River Division, Whalebone Cove Division, and the Roger Tory Peterson Division).

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1998 the Connecticut was designated as one of the Country’s 14 American Heritage Rivers. proclaimed by The Nature Conservancy to be one of the Last Great Places

Photo: Tide Water Institute

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2005 listed by the EPA Long Island Sound Stewardship Initiative as a Long Island Sound Stewardship Site 2009 - Federally designated Wild and Scenic Eightmile River Watershed 2012 – CT River National Blueway Audubon Important Bird Areas

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Photo: Long Island Sound Resource Center 2508

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Contains Four State designated greenways Haddam, one of the region’s more northern towns contains a part of the Metacomet, Monadnock, Mattabesett Trail System designated in 2009 as a National Scenic Trail that strives to extend over 200 miles from Massachusetts to Long Island Sound

Ortner Property – Westbrook Land Trust

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Haddam Land Trust

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Lower CT River and Coastal Region Land Trust Exchange A collaboration of the 14 land trusts of the RiverCOG Region CT Resource, Conservation, and Development Area (RC&D) CT Land Conservation Council (CLCC) UConn Extension Forestry – Tom Worthley CT Dept. of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Emery Gluck – Cockaponset and Nehantic State Forester Steve Gephard - Supervising Fisheries Biologist, CT DEEP Inland Fisheries Division US Fish and Wildlife Rick Potvin – Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge US Dept. of Ag Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Garrett Timmons – District Conservationist

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2004 A GIS inventory of conservation easements in the 8 municipalities of the Connecticut River Gateway Conservation Zone as well as educational material on creation and stewardship

  • f conservation easements. Regional community meeting with Preston Bristow –

Conservation Stewardship Director, Vermont Land Trust (The project was conducted as a part of a grant provided by the Long Island Sound Fund administered by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection.)

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2006 Connecticut River Riparian Mapping Project – In conjunction with Tidewater Institute. A project which mapped, on the parcel scale along the banks of the Connecticut River within the Connecticut River Gateway Conservation Zone, the condition of the riparian buffer, location of existing vacant parcel protection opportunities, a cursory look at the location of invasive species, and a photo library of each parcel from the water. (Funded by the Environmental Protection Agency, Long Island Sound Office, Connecticut River Estuary Regional Planning Agency, Tidewater Institute, and the Connecticut River Gateway Commission.)

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2008 The Lower Connecticut River Ground Truthing -

An inventory of existing open space and vacant parcels greater than 5 acres with associated conservation index and land use classification as well as outreach to regional land trusts and conservation organizations to promote land conservation

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2009

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Lower Connecticut River And Coastal Region Land Trust Exchange (LTE)

Chester Land Trust Clinton Land Conservation Trust Connecticut River Land Trust Deep River Land Trust East Haddam Land Trust Essex Land Trust Haddam Land Trust Lyme Land Conservation Trust Lynde Point Land Trust Middlesex Land Trust Old Lyme Land Trust Old Saybrook Land Trust Salem Land Trust Westbrook Land Conservation Trust www.lcrclandtrustexchange.org

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Create a stronger connection between the local, regional conservation community, and the Regional, State, and Federal land use planning process;

Further our ability to provide an educational and planning opportunity for environmental and landscape protection for members of our region’s land trusts and conservation commissions

to promote landscape linkages, tool creation, data acquisition, and sharing to enable effective collaboration and cooperation, in a regional manner, towards the creation of trails and greenways, and protection of existing habitat, water quality, and scenic and cultural landscape corridors; and

Identify possible collaboration mechanisms and business structures that will not take away from an individual land trust’s unique and important relationship and place in its own community, but enable them to practice best management and business principles. This could allow each to operate to its

greatest potential concerning long term planning goals, future land acquisition, and the sustainable

stewardship of their already existing protected open space. Business structures and collaboration mechanisms could include shared staff to help with record keeping, membership mailings, newsletter production, record keeping, fund raising, and grant writing as well as office space to provide a place for meetings, and where members could share computer hardware and software.

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Lower Ct River and Coastal Region Land Trust Exchange:

  • 8th year of collaboration;
  • Where Have All the Bats Gone
  • Search for the New England Cottontail
  • Natural Resource Based Strategic Conservation Plan;
  • CLCC Land Trust Initiative

Education and Coaching concerning Community Engagement and Fundraising Case Statement (fund raising objective) Stewardship – Management Plans Shared Services Study Lower Ct River and Coastal Region Forest Stewardship Initiative

  • Participation in Cockaponset and Nehantic State Forest Management Plans

Community outreach – Regional Landscape Scale

  • Forest Owner Survey
  • Menunketesuck Cockaponset Regional Greenway
  • Haddam Quarter / Candlewood Hill Neighborhood Forest Meeting
  • 4 Corner Forest Neighborhood Forest Meeting

Projects and Accomplishments

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Suzanne Haig and Maureen Heidtmann $450

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Search for the New England Cottontail

Photo: John A. Litvaitis

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Private Forest Landowner Reaction to Community Engagement and Landscape-level Approaches to Forest Stewardship - USFS, UConn Extension, Last Green Valley Can an easy and reliable method to measure the influence of a landscape approach And community engagement on private forestland stewardship be developed? Goals to date –

  • Reaching private land owners to let them know where help and information can be found

concerning land protection and stewardship.

  • Raising the level of esteem held within a community for its private forest owners for the

benefit they provide to the community in the way of ecosystem services. How do you increase community awareness concerning forest land conservation? How do you raise the esteem of and benefits to private forest land owners within a community?

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Haddam Quarter / Candlewood Hill Neighborhood Forest

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4 Corner Neighborhood Forest

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Partners

David Brown – Middlesex Land Trust Christine Clayton – Old Lyme Land Trust Tom Elliott – Westbrook Land Conservation Trust Dick Harrall – Chester Land Trust Lisa Niccolai – Lyme Land Conservation Trust, CT River Land Trust Nancy Rambeau – Essex Land Trust Gail Reynolds – Haddam Land Trust Rob Smith – East Haddam Land Trust Javier Cruz, NRCS District Conservationist, Norwich Rick Potvin, Refuge Manager, Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge, US Fish and Wildlife Steve Gephard, Supervising Fisheries Biologist, CT DEEP Inland Fisheries Division Emery Gluck, Cockaponset State Forester, CT DEEP Division of Forestry Tom Worthley, UConn Dept. of Extension, Forestry Technical Assistance: National Park Service Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program John Monroe

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Why?

Land conservation is hard work! We want to make sure that we are conserving the places that will do us the greatest amount of good. Want to be proactive instead of reactive. Compete for conservation dollars.

Photo: USFS

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  • For regional purposes the models and maps identify

where the vast majority of agreed upon important natural resources exist within and bordering the RiverCOG Region.

  • Plan becoming part of the Region’s Plan of

Conservation and Development. Recognition by regional staff and municipalities of the importance

  • f proactive conservation and the Region’s

economic development.

  • Increased awareness of the land trusts place in and

value to their communities

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Primary and Connecting Corridors account for:

  • 79% of area of all large natural areas;
  • 91% of all core forest area; and
  • 81% of all surface hydrology with intact buffer.
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Primary Corridors (dark green on map) – 86 largest and/or most resource rich large natural areas:

  • 68% of area of all large natural areas;
  • 81% of all core forest area; and
  • 69% of all surface hydrology with intact buffer.

Connecting Corridors (yellow on map) – next 63 largest and/or most resource rich large natural areas;

  • 11% of area of all large natural areas;
  • 10% of all core forest area; and
  • 11% of all surface hydrology with intact buffer.
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Data Sets All data sets had to cover the entire region.

  • UConn CLEAR 2010 Land Cover
  • Inland Wetland Soils
  • Water bodies, streams, intermittent streams
  • DEEP Critical Habitats (25 rare and specialized wildlife

habitats in the State)

  • Natural Diversity Database Areas (State listed species –

endangered, threatened, or special concern – Blob data)

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Specialized Land Cover Dependent Data Sets

  • Large Natural Areas
  • Core Forest Areas – Our LNAs’ are 82%

forested.

  • Early Successional Habitat
  • Surface Hydrology with 300’ buffer
  • Critical Habitat with 300’ buffer
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The final data sets chosen for the local model consist of:

  • LNAs;
  • Core Forest Areas;
  • Early Successional Habitat Areas;
  • Surface Hydrology;
  • Critical Habitats; and
  • Natural Diversity Database Areas.

The local model weighted core forest areas, surface hydrology, and critical habitat data sets as twice as important as the LNAs, early successional habitat and natural diversity database data sets.

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Regional Model Data Sets

  • Size of the LNAs >1,000, 500 – 1000, 100 -500.

and <100; (acres)

  • Percent Core Forest in LNAs;
  • Percent Surface Hydrology in LNAs;

Stand alone:

  • Critical Habitat;
  • Natural Diversity Database Areas.
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  • 1004 LNAs greater than five acres
  • 64 Tier 1 LNAs are 1000 acres or greater, and cover 170,145 acres.
  • 55 Tier 2 LNAs are 500 acres to 999 acres, and cover 37,874 acres.
  • 178 Tier 3 LNAs are 100 acres to 499 acres, and cover 42,722 acres.
  • 703 Tier 4 LNAs are < then 100 acres and cover 17,147 acres.
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Regional Model Acreage Large Natural Area Tier 1 ≥ 1000 Acres % Core Forest % Hydrography Class 1 75 -100 Class 1 75 - 100 Class 2 50 - 74 Class 2 50 - 74 Class 3 25 - 49 Class 3 25 - 49 Class 4 0 -24 Class 4 0 -24 Tier 2 ≥ 500 < 1000 Acres Class 1 75 - 100 Class 1 75 - 100 Class 2 50 - 74 Class 2 50 - 74 Class 3 25 - 49 Class 3 25 - 49 Class 4 0 - 24 Class 4 0 -24 Tier 3 ≥ 100 < 500 Acres Class 1 75 - 100 Class 1 75 - 100 Class 2 50 - 74 Class 2 50 - 74 Class 3 25 - 49 Class 3 25 - 49 Class 4 0 - 24 Class 4 0 - 24 Tier 4 < 100 Acres Class 1 75 - 100 Class 1 75 - 100 Class 2 50 - 74 Class 2 50 - 74 Class 3 25 - 49 Class 3 25 - 49 Class 4 0 - 24 Class 4 0 - 24

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CLCC Land Trust Advancement Initiative

  • Community Engagement and Case Statement (fund

raising)

  • Stewardship
  • Shared Services

Photo: CT DEEP

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The Connecticut Land Trust Advancement Initiative

SHARED SERVICES: A STRATEGY FOR LAND TRUST ADVANCEMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY IN CONNECTICUT

A project of the Connecticut Land Conservation Council in partnership with: The Lower Connecticut River Valley Council of Governments/ The Lower Connecticut River and Coastal Region Land Trust Exchange Land Trust Alliance Connecticut Resource, Conservation, and Development Area

Funded by the USDA-Natural Resource Conservation Service Conservation Technical Assistance Program

Henrietta B. Jordan February 2016

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Contact Information: Margot Burns Lower Connecticut River Valley council of Governments 860-581-5884 mburns@rivercog.org www.rivercog.org www.lcrclandtrustexchange.org

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Take-homes…

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Questions and Discussion