Statewide Ballot Issue Offers Way to Protect Our Public Lands

Under current law, the CT General Assembly can unilaterally ordain the sale of State parks, forests, and other public lands with no public input and little transparency, opening the door for back-room deals that might not serve the public good but rather satisfy other, sometimes dubious interests. To prevent such unilateral transfers an amendment to the State Constitution will be appearing on the ballot on November 6 as Question #2. If passed, it would mandate a public hearing and a 2/3 vote of the General Assembly before such public lands could be sold, swapped, or given away to private companies or local governments. The amendment’s underlying rationale is that, as public citizens, ‘this land is your land, this land is my land’ … and we should have a voice in whether it is transferred and how it is to be used.

This issue has been of festering concern for a decade and was front and center when I recently cruised the CT River. Back in 2009, the General Assembly approved a land swap permitting a developer to exchange acres of State-owned property abutting the River in Haddam for inland acreage worth substantially less. Fortunately, the Governor intervened and vetoed this action which then sparked a concerted effort to prevent such land transfers without due consideration and public involvement.

Given that our precious lands and waters are inextricably intertwined, on behalf of the Candlewood Watershed Initiative I would urge you to vote YES in favor of this amendment. Also advocating in support are some 150 conservation-minded organizations from throughout the State -- from land trusts to river alliances, from the CT Audubon Society to Trout Unlimited, from the National Wildlife Federation to well beyond. These organizations have banded together under the umbrella ‘Protect CT Public Lands,’ an advocacy group that can be accessed at www.protectctpubliclands.org where individuals and organizations can learn more. Likewise, you may want to access Robert Miller’s informative article of 10/6: https://www.newstimes.com/news/article/Robert-Miller-Ballot-question-would-give-people-13281187.php.

To help ensure our public lands are preserved and serve our collective interests, and to improve accountability and transparency of public land transactions, vote YES on Question #2 when you cast your ballot on November 6. By so doing, you will also help protect our State’s open spaces, prevent encroachments, and control improper use of development rights – all essential and meaningful gains in the public interest to preserve our vital natural resources.