Habitat management, Recreational access
Highlands Conservation Act projects in Connecticut

States

Connecticut

Ecosystem

Forest, River/stream, Rural, Urban, Wetland

Subject

Landscape conservation
View of a wetland area with rocks and wildflowers along the edge of a pond where grass and lily pads grow, with a forest along the other side of the pond.
Image Details

The Connecticut Highlands region encompasses Appalachian hills and valleys extending throughout Litchfield county and beyond. Projects in the state are conserving important wildlife habitat, creating new outdoor recreational areas and protecting drinking water supplies for residents in and around Danbury, Goshen and West Simsbury to name a few, and it is in close proximity to the city of Hartford. The successes of the Highlands Conservation Act are the result of the hard work of multiple state and local partners, supported by a 50% funding match from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

State partners include:

Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection

Click here for a complete list of HCA partners in Connecticut

Connecticut Highlands at a glance: 
Number of Completed ProjectsAcres ConservedTotal obligated funds
365,636$25,575,265.00

Click here for the 2024 Highlands Conservation Act Connecticut fact sheet.

an image of a detailed fact sheet on stats the Highlands Conservation Act program. For the full fact sheet, visit the Highlands Conservation Act program website
Image Details

News

A group of people stand in front of a forest holding a ribbon while a woman cuts the ribbon with a huge pair of scissors. 
Room to roam in Connecticut
In western Connecticut — just a two-hour car ride from New York City — conserved areas are expanding thanks to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Highlands Conservation Act grant program and Steep Rock Association.
Story
Our Partners
A stream flows gently through a wooded forest.
Highlands Conservation Act preserves 627-acre property in Connecticut
The Beech Hill property in Goshen, CT, spans more than 600-acres, offering future opportunities for public recreation and a variety of habitats for wildlife. This recently conserved parcel was protected with the help of a Highlands Conservation Act Grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Story
Land Management
A young girl blows on a puff of dandelion seeds that she picked from the side of the road. She is with a boy, probably her older brother, enjoying the sunshine at the edge of a field.
Highlands Conservation Act helps conserve legacy of Martin Luther King Jr
With the help of a Highlands Conservation Act Grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Simsbury, Connecticut, bought the Meadowood farm in October of 2021. The land gives people an opportunity to connect not only with nature but also with history. Morehouse students used to travel north to...
Story
History and Culture

Programs

A pond reflects sunlight on the water. Wild grass, lily pads, and wildflowers surround the pond. Tall trees grow on the land in the distance across the pond.
The Highlands region spans 3.4 million acres across Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. In an effort to conserve natural resources in this region, the Highlands Conservation Act was passed in 2004, founding the Highlands Conservation Act grant program. This grant program is among...
Program

Partners