Gov. Ned Lamont announced the allocation of $7.29 million in state funds for the purchase and preservation of 1,013 acres of open space in 17 Connecticut communities, along with $276,200 to restore and renew of green spaces in six urban areas.
The funds are provided through the state”™s Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Grant Program and the Urban Green and Community Gardens Grant Program, which are both administered by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
Within Fairfield County, the localities receiving Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Grant funds are Redding, which will receive $1.1 million for the 99.1-acre Granskog Property, the last large and undeveloped parcel adjacent to The Nature Conservancy”™s 1,833-acre Devil”™s Den Preserve; Stamford, which will receive $2.2 million for the 64-acre Margaret Lang Trust & Arthur Altshul Trust Acquisition; and Wilton, which will receive $398,125 for the 9.84-acre Montanaro Property. No locality in Fairfield County was designated for Urban Green and Community Garden Grant funding.
“Connecticut”™s preservation of open space has helped define its landscape and preserve its important natural resources and natural beauty and is one of the main things that makes this state such a great place to call home,” Lamont said in a press statement. “These grants continue our open space preservation legacy and will increase the availability and quality of open space for all residents across our state, whether they live in an urban, suburban, or rural area.”
