Landowners Gather at Tarrywile to Talk Yards, Water Quality

Landowners from Bethel, Danbury, Redding, and Ridgefield gathered June 17 to share concerns about their land, water quality, and animal habitat. The informal meeting took place at Tarrywile Park and Mansion and attendees agreed that people care about their land, but often face roadblocks when it comes to taking action.

 

“It really comes down to money and inconvenience,” one landowner said. “The problem is how do we move from ‘this is a great idea’ to ‘lets actually do this?’”

 

The meeting was organized as part of the Hudson to Housatonic (H2H) Conservation Initiative, which works across southwestern Connecticut and eastern New York to help landowners protect their land and enhance water quality and habitat.

 

Landowners discussed several concerns and possible solutions including plant buffers along streams and lakes to improve water quality, and management techniques to reduce invasive plant species. At the end of the meeting there was a clear common message from those in attendance – that the land in this area is special and the best way to protect it is by working together with neighbors and municipalities.

 

“You don’t always need a study to convince people to care,” said Geordie Elkins, Operations Director at Highstead, a Redding organization that supports H2H. “We have to ask ourselves ‘Why did we choose to live here? What do we love about the area? How can we protect what we love?’”

 

To learn more about H2H and Highstead visit highstead.net.

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Submitted by Bethel, CT

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