by Emily Moos, Associate Planner, RPA
An October drive along Route 7, or any of the scenic byways of Connecticut's Highlands region, offers the prospect of sweeping vistas from which to view fall's brilliant foliage. This 28-town area in the northwestern portion of the state is characterized by quaint villages and small industrial cities, natural beauty and environmental treasures, large tracts of productive farmland, and historic settlements. In short, the Highlands region offers the traditional essence of New England.
Of course other seasons in the Highlands are also a treat: winter's snowcapped hills, spring's thaw winding down through the Farmington, Naugatuck and Housatonic rivers and summer's fields of grazing animals, fruits, vegetables and wildflowers all draw scores of visitors. The area lures hikers, boaters, whitewater rafters, campers, canoeists, kayakers, skiers and more from all parts of the country. The Connecticut Highlands has some of the state's most valued farmland, mostly family-owned crop and livestock farms. This scenic splendor fuels a thriving tourist industry, offering weekend visitors and day-trippers a welcome relief.
New residents and businesses are also attracted to the Highlands, and therein lies the conflict. Too often, this development degrades the high quality and special character of the Highlands' towns and villages that attracted the development in the first place. While state leaders are beginning to explore the techniques of Smart Growth and other anti-sprawl methods such as improving public transit and building more densely, this type of development will continue to eat away at the Connecticut Highlands unless more comprehensive action is taken.
Luckily, there is hope on the horizon, although much still needs to be done to make it a reality. A part of the Appalachian Highlands stretching from Pennsylvania to Connecticut, the Connecticut Highlands and its high conservation value were recognized by Congress and President Bush in the Highlands Conservation Act of 2004. The Act provides for up to $110 million over ten years for land conservation in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut.
Studies conducted by the USDA Forest Service in cooperation with RPA in 1992 and 2002 in the New York and New Jersey Highlands helped engage local leaders and citizens in a scientific natural resource analysis. That analysis substantiated the federal interest in the Highlands, and will now help direct funding available from Congress under the Highlands Conservation Act. These studies were also used to advance statewide legislation in New Jersey that created a "Highlands Council" charged with adopting a regional plan to protect water quality and promote Smart Growth. A similar effort is now underway in Connecticut, with the goal of harnessing some of the funds authorized by the 2004 Act.
The Connecticut study team is led by the USDA Forest Service in cooperation with the University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension, Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, Housatonic Valley Association, and Regional Plan Association. A working group of local and state officials, conservationists, developers, landowners, farmers, wildlife experts and ecologists met for the first time in late September to begin the natural resource assessment process.
Public listening sessions are now underway to gain citizen input and perspective. Two of the three listening sessions have already been held in New Milford and Torrington and one will be held on November 7th in Falls Village. The first two sessions were well attended by a wide variety of landowners, farmers, state and local representatives, conservationists, students and Highlands residents. These participants were given the opportunity to assess the value of the five most critical natural resources in the region: Water, forest, biological, agricultural and recreational resources. Session participants also mapped and wrote about specific areas within the Connecticut Highlands that they deem worthy of national recognition, and protection through federal funding. The resulting assessment by the Connecticut Study Team and U.S. Forest Service, to be released in draft form this winter, will lend an important voice in support of stewardship and preservation of the Highlands' legacy in the State of Connecticut.
The assessment is just an initial step, the first of many that must be taken if the Connecticut Highlands are going to be substantially protected. But the good news is that the beginning of the journey is well underway.
An October drive along Route 7, or any of the scenic byways of Connecticut's Highlands region, offers the prospect of sweeping vistas from which to view fall's brilliant foliage. This 28-town area in the northwestern portion of the state is characterized by quaint villages and small industrial cities, natural beauty and environmental treasures, large tracts of productive farmland, and historic settlements. In short, the Highlands region offers the traditional essence of New England.
Of course other seasons in the Highlands are also a treat: winter's snowcapped hills, spring's thaw winding down through the Farmington, Naugatuck and Housatonic rivers and summer's fields of grazing animals, fruits, vegetables and wildflowers all draw scores of visitors. The area lures hikers, boaters, whitewater rafters, campers, canoeists, kayakers, skiers and more from all parts of the country. The Connecticut Highlands has some of the state's most valued farmland, mostly family-owned crop and livestock farms. This scenic splendor fuels a thriving tourist industry, offering weekend visitors and day-trippers a welcome relief.
New residents and businesses are also attracted to the Highlands, and therein lies the conflict. Too often, this development degrades the high quality and special character of the Highlands' towns and villages that attracted the development in the first place. While state leaders are beginning to explore the techniques of Smart Growth and other anti-sprawl methods such as improving public transit and building more densely, this type of development will continue to eat away at the Connecticut Highlands unless more comprehensive action is taken.
Luckily, there is hope on the horizon, although much still needs to be done to make it a reality. A part of the Appalachian Highlands stretching from Pennsylvania to Connecticut, the Connecticut Highlands and its high conservation value were recognized by Congress and President Bush in the Highlands Conservation Act of 2004. The Act provides for up to $110 million over ten years for land conservation in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut.
Studies conducted by the USDA Forest Service in cooperation with RPA in 1992 and 2002 in the New York and New Jersey Highlands helped engage local leaders and citizens in a scientific natural resource analysis. That analysis substantiated the federal interest in the Highlands, and will now help direct funding available from Congress under the Highlands Conservation Act. These studies were also used to advance statewide legislation in New Jersey that created a "Highlands Council" charged with adopting a regional plan to protect water quality and promote Smart Growth. A similar effort is now underway in Connecticut, with the goal of harnessing some of the funds authorized by the 2004 Act.
The Connecticut study team is led by the USDA Forest Service in cooperation with the University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension, Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, Housatonic Valley Association, and Regional Plan Association. A working group of local and state officials, conservationists, developers, landowners, farmers, wildlife experts and ecologists met for the first time in late September to begin the natural resource assessment process.
Public listening sessions are now underway to gain citizen input and perspective. Two of the three listening sessions have already been held in New Milford and Torrington and one will be held on November 7th in Falls Village. The first two sessions were well attended by a wide variety of landowners, farmers, state and local representatives, conservationists, students and Highlands residents. These participants were given the opportunity to assess the value of the five most critical natural resources in the region: Water, forest, biological, agricultural and recreational resources. Session participants also mapped and wrote about specific areas within the Connecticut Highlands that they deem worthy of national recognition, and protection through federal funding. The resulting assessment by the Connecticut Study Team and U.S. Forest Service, to be released in draft form this winter, will lend an important voice in support of stewardship and preservation of the Highlands' legacy in the State of Connecticut.
The assessment is just an initial step, the first of many that must be taken if the Connecticut Highlands are going to be substantially protected. But the good news is that the beginning of the journey is well underway.
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