State Rep. Toni Boucher announced a state Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Grant award to the Town of Wilton in the amount of $441,000 for the Keiser Family Land Easement.

This easement will protect nearly 1,000 lineal feet of Norwalk River and its associated floodplain, providing public access to hiking and fishing. Two parcels flank both sides of scenic Seeley Road and are bounded to the north by protected open space of Wilton Land Conservation Trust, Town-owned land and land of Aspetuck Land Trust.  At Cannon Road and the southwest boundary, there is a pedestrian easement protecting Norwalk River and its riparian buffer to the west.

“Protecting open space is an investment in our future. I am delighted that we are making this important investment in the environment. Governor Rell is a leader in the effort to ensure the protection of Connecticut’s natural treasures. Because of her leadership, our children and grandchildren will be able to enjoy our mountains, waterways, forests and other environmental splendors that make our state such a special place to live,” said Senator Boucher.
State financial assistance for the purchase of local open space is provided under Connecticut’s Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Grant Program. The program makes funds available to support land purchases by municipalities, nonprofit land conservation organizations and water companies. Funds for this program are provided through state bonding and the 2005 Community Investment Act.
Funding for this year’s grants includes $5.7 million in state bond funds and $4.5 million from the Community Investment Act. 

There have now been 14 rounds of funding for the Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Grant Program since it was launched in 1998. In this time the state has provided more than $94.1 million in grants to assist with the purchase of about 21,624 acres across the state.
These purchases – along with open space land held directly by the state – are helping Connecticut meet its open space goal of protecting 21 percent of Connecticut’s land – or 673,210 acres – by the year 2023. Connecticut is now 72.1 percent of the way toward achieving this goal, with 485,8145 acres having been designated as state or local open space.

The DEP evaluates projects using natural resource and outdoor recreation criteria that includes a numerical scoring system. A Natural Heritage, Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Review Board, which was created by state statute, assists DEP in reviewing and ranking the projects.

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