Situation
A U.S. Representative whose district includes several rural communities noted need to increase rural town elected officials’ knowledge of the array of preservation tools available. She was concerned about the rate of closing and conversion of dairy farms which had contributed so much to the rural character of her district. She asked the CRDC to co-sponsor a workshop for municipal officials in her district.
Goals
- Publicize the existence of open space and agricultural land preservation techniques.
- Inform town elected officials, land owners including farmers, municipal land use board members and and conservation/preservation organizations about the techniques.
- Provide education that may result in increased land protection and farm viability.
Activities
The Congresswoman’s staff worked with CRDC leaders and the executive director to identify speakers and organize the event including developing a mailing list and sending out press releases.
13 speakers were lined up covering public and private sector organizations, programs, and tax aspects. Displays featured information about the organizations. Handouts were provided by the speakers.
Initial Results
On a July afternoon in 1996, some 90 persons attended, including elected leaders from the majority of rural towns in the district, town planners and members of town land use boards, land trusts, farmers and interested citizens.
Response was considered so favorable that regional planners in another rural part of the state requested a similar forum for their region.
Networking, visibility for the CRDC and its objectives and mission.
Expected/Future Results
Increased awareness of several techniques: certain relatively underutilized programs were given broad exposure.
Networking led to at least one known partnering between the state’s agritourism expert and a rural regional planning organization director who convened a meeting on potential agritourism projects in the district.
Plans are underway to offer a similar open space forum in northeastern CT in the spring of 1998.
This project was the first between the Congresswoman and the CRDC. The successful collaboration led to the Road and Bridge Forum joint effort one year later. In October 1997 the Council honored her with its first "Friend of Rural Connecticut" Award in recognition of her support of the Council and service to rural communities.
