{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://larson.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/larson-blumenthal-murphy-and-governor-lamont-announce-protection-1364", "Larson, Blumenthal, Murphy, and Governor Lamont Announce Protection of 1,364 Acres of Watershed Lands in Winchester", "2024-09-27", "2024", "2024-09", "Democrat", "House", "CT", "John B. Larson", "L000557", "larson.house.gov", "larson", "https://larson.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "Hartford, CT - Today, Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01), Senator Richard Blumenthal, Senator Chris Murphy, Governor Ned Lamont, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), and the Housatonic Valley Association, announced the successful protection of 1,364 acres of watershed lands in the Town of Winchester.\n\nThis is the largest conservation project to leverage federal funding from the Highlands Conservation Act in its 20-year history, and Winchester is the first environmental justice community to benefit from these funds. The Highlands Conservation Act covers 3.4 million acres in portions of Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania and is one of the most significant sources of federal land protection grant funding available in Connecticut.\n\n\u201cI have been a longtime supporter of the Highlands Conservation Act, which has helped protect more than 16,000 acres of land across the Northeast over the last twenty years,\u201d U.S. Congressman John B. Larson (CT-01) said. \u201cI\u2019m thrilled to join the Housatonic Valley Association to announce the preservation of 1,364 acres in Winchester. This project, the largest-ever preservation effort supported by the Highlands Conservation Act in Connecticut, will ensure residents have access to both safe drinking water and recreational opportunities to enjoy our region\u2019s natural beauty. I commend the local advocates, donors, and state leaders for their work to protect the community\u2019s public water supply and ensure the preservation of this land for years to come.\u201d\n\n\u201cOpen space is one of the top contributors to our great quality of life here in Connecticut, and the land protected under the Highlands Conservation Act is among the most beautiful land around,\u201d Governor Lamont said. \u201cI thank our Congressional delegation and federal agency partners for their efforts to secure land protection funding for our state, as well as our local land trust and conservation partners. This is a great example of federal, state, and local working together to accomplish big things.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am proud that 1,364 acres of land in Winchester are now protected thanks to funding from the Highlands Conservation Act,\u201d U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal said. \u201cThis historic conservation will boost outdoor recreation, supply clean drinking water, and protect wildlife \u2013 ensuring that Connecticut\u2019s highlands remain an environmental treasure for generations to come.\u201d\n\n\u201cToday\u2019s announcement marks a historic milestone in our fight to conserve land in western Connecticut,\u201d U.S. Senator Chris Murphy said. \u201cI spent years working to reauthorize the Highlands Conservation Act so we could maintain federal funding to support projects like this one. Safeguarding Winchester\u2019s watershed land will help keep public drinking water clean and protect our wildlife and forests for future generations to enjoy.\u201d\n\n\u201cBeing one of the largest conservation projects in over a decade, the permanent protection of this land provides numerous benefits to the residents of Connecticut,\u201d DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes said. \u201cIt will enhance the quality of life for Winchester and surrounding municipalities\u2019 residents, who will have access to portions of the property for passive recreation use. It will also protect key watersheds, drinking water supply, and habitats for a diversity of wildlife. This conservation project and others like it also address climate change in a meaningful way by fortifying and preserving forestland. I\u2019m grateful for the partnership with the USFWS, Housatonic Valley Association, the Town of Winchester, and the private volunteers and donors who helped make this project successful.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Highlands Conservation Act is a phenomenal tool, allowing state agencies to conserve priority areas across this vital landscape,\u201d U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Region Deputy Regional Director Kyla Hastie said. \u201cWe are a proud partner in this effort and applaud Connecticut DEEP and the Housatonic Valley Association for their focus on conservation in historically marginalized communities.\u201d\n\n\u201cConservation at this scale requires the creativity and commitment of many partners,\u201d Tim Abbott, conservation director for the Housatonic Valley Association, said. \u201cI\u2019m deeply grateful to the town leadership for pursuing this opportunity, but perhaps even more impressive is the unanimous support that this effort received from town voters at a selectmen\u2019s meeting to approve the transaction.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe serenity and beauty of the natural resources of Winchester are the foundation and bedrock of our community,\u201d Winchester Town Administrator Todd Arcelaschi said. \u201cThe actions of the Town of Winchester in seeking to safeguard the town water supply, as well as protect the natural beauty and charm of the area will pay dividends well into the future. By securing these easements, we not only guarantee the protection of our water supply, we also safeguard the habitat of the region\u2019s wildlife allowing future generations to experience the beauty of northwestern Connecticut landscape and wildlife.\u201d\n\nConservation easements placed over these municipal water company lands will ensure that they remain a source of clean drinking water for the City of Winsted, providing additional safeguards for wildlife habitat and a planned public access trail that will avoid sensitive areas. The property has been protected through the Highlands Conservation Act, matched by DEEP\u2019s Recreation and Natural Heritage Trust Fund, and additional donations raised privately through the Housatonic Valley Association\u2019s Greenprint Partners Pledge Fund. The Housatonic Valley Association also provided a Baseline Documentation Report as part of its contribution to the project that documents the current condition of the more than two dozen parcels that comprise the conserved watershed lands. The Town of Winchester still owns the land and operates its municipal water company.\n\n\u201cIn addition to safeguarding our drinking water, the Town Water Company land connects to permanently protected open space owned by the Winchester Land Trust and other conservation groups,\u201d Winchester Land Trust President Jen Perga said. \u201cThe new easement creates a large corridor of protected land for animals to move north and south through town.\u201d\n\nSince 2004, the Highlands Conservation Act has brought nearly $25 million to Connecticut and protected more than 7,257 acres in 15 Highlands communities. A recent reauthorization of the act provides a mechanism to expand funding eligibility beyond the initial 26 Connecticut municipalities within the Highlands region. Since then, 11 more Connecticut municipalities have been included, with the potential for further expansion.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:43:57Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://larson.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/larson-blumenthal-murphy-and-governor-lamont-announce-protection-1364"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.157048787921667, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}