This evening saw our Congressman Jim Maloney at his best as he gracefully moderated a panel of thirteen experts discussing the preservation of open space in Fairfield County. Maloney used the evening as a springboard to push for his legislation to amend a federal law to provide federal matching grants for state, local and urban conservation needs. If passed, it will increase Dept. of Interior funding for open space preservation from the current paltry levels to more than $900 million annually. The funds come from taxes already collected on off-shore oil drilling fees and would not increase taxes.
Mr. Maloney opened the symposium with a brief speech about the importance of protecting the environment. "Open space is a critical issue," he noted, "and Fairfield County is the fault line on the issue -- there is a great deal of beautiful open space, but there are tremendous development pressures." A whole new type of open space is coming to market due to the deregulation of the electric and water utilities, which have been ordered by the regulators to sell excess resources. Since much of their resources is open land, held in reserve as potential hydroelectric resource or and buffer zones around reservoirs. Congressman Maloney suggested that towns and non-governmental agencies should consider a major effort to acquire these lands and ensure they are protected for all time.
"The time frame is short," the Congressman closed. "land available now will not be available in five years, or maybe even two years, from tonight. We have to make sure we have the processes in place to protect the space as it becomes available."
There were a number of interesting speakers, all of whom touched different aspects of the issue. Elaine LaBella of the Riverbelt Greenway Project noted that CL&P owns 1000 acres of land on Candlewood Lake (indeed, owns the lake itself) which CL&P will be selling in the next few years. Larry Bingaman of Aquarion Company (a Bridgeport Hydraulic affiliate) noted that the state's water companies will be selling about 10,000 acres of land to raise funds to protect more critical water sources.
Betty McLaughlin of the Sierra Club noted that local efforts, such as those in Weston and Ridgefield, are just as important as the big headline-making efforts of the Federal Government.
Ms. Betty McLaughlin of the Sierra Club raised a different perspective that struck a chord with the Ridgefielders at the meeting as she described how her organization is attempting to work with planners in towns. "We're talking about better land use planning," she said. "For example, if all of the spare land in a town is declared open space, where do you put the new schools you might need? Open space planning must be part of a town's overall master plan."
Another interesting speaker was Hal Shupack, a selectman from Weston, which has just been through a successful but brutal open space project preservation effort known as "Trout Brook." Mr. Shupack noted that towns, as not-for-profit agencies, sometimes "are bidding against land trusts who only hold the land for ten years and then sell it to developers, putting extra tax-free profits in their pockets." He also noted that in many instances, however, local residents have been exceptionally generous with their time and the land and made it possible for the town to acquire open space land at below-market prices.
The symposium was well publicized and well attended; about sixty people filled the room and late arrivals had to stand in the back.
Overall, it was a very successful night and everybody left inspired to work harder, to try to do more, and to make the effort before that last bit of woodland is gone forever.
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