Conservation is more than a job for us. It’s our passion, and we’re committed to protecting Connecticut’s natural resources. Find out more below about what CFPA is fighting for both at the State Legislature and Nationally. Your involvement is the “wind beneath our wings” and the accomplishments we make together are only possible thanks to you!
Conservation Agenda
CFPA has put forward a conservation agenda for Connecticut’s future every year since 1897. Below are our top recommendations on State and Federal priorities for 2023, or view a one-page summary.
State Legislative Priorities
- Authorize Property Tax Incentive for Landowners to Protect Trails.
- Support resilient forest & climate recommendations from GC3 and PRFCT Future reports.
- Ensure public input process for conveying state-owned lands to non-state ownership runs as intended in the state constitution.
- Update Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition (OSWA) statute to better leverage municipal and federal matching funds.
- Balance roadside forest health with electric infrastructure resiliency.
State Funding Priorities
- Raise staffing to adequate levels to accommodate dramatic increases in public use of recreational assets, facilities, and natural resources. For example, State Park staff ceiling is currently 83 full-time employees to care for 110 State Parks, 11 campgrounds, and abundant public facilities including 6 nature centers.
- Keep the Passport to the Parks funding intact.
- Continue state bonding investments for trails, open space, and agricultural land protection.
- Protect the Community Investment Act against diversions or raids.
Federal Priorities
- Increase National Park Service appropriations and achieve unit status for the New England National Scenic Trail.
- Re-admit Connecticut into the Federal Highways Administration/Recreational Trails Program.
- Pass Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA), Complete America’s Great Trails Act, and other CT priorities.