Wallingford Awarded $435,500 Open Space State Grant

WALLINGFORD, CT — Wallingford has been awarded a $435,500 state grant toward the purchase of 138 Williams Rd. for the purpose of protecting the local watershed and reservoir source – the Muddy River, according to officials.

Gov. Ned Lamont announced Wednesday that his administration is awarding $14.5 million in state grants to aid in the purchase and protection of more than 2,626 acres of open space through 17 projects in 18 municipalities across Connecticut.

The funds are being provided through the state’s Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Grant Program and the Urban Green and Community Gardens Grant Program, both of which are administered by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. They mark the largest round of open space protection awards – both by acreage protected and by dollars awarded – in more than a decade, according to a news release.

“Connecticut is the fourth most densely populated state in the country, and it is critical that we set aside some of the gorgeous natural resources we have in the state and protect it as open space in perpetuity for everyone to enjoy for generations,” Lamont said. “The funds we are announcing today will not only help combat the impacts of climate change, but they will also create more equitable access to outdoor green spaces within our most underserved communities. These grants are an excellent reminder of why Connecticut is such an incredible place to work, live, and play.”

The project description is below:

Project Name: 138 Williams Road

Sponsor: Town of Wallingford

Location: 138 Williams Road, Wallingford

Grant Amount: $435,500

Size: 40.7 Acres

Description: This acquisition will protect Class I and II lands under the Wallingford Water Division’s supervision, functioning to protect this undeveloped watershed area from environmental degradation and providing water quality purification in its open and forested areas. This parcel is traversed by the Muddy River, a Class AA watercourse and primary tributary for McKensie Reservoir. The Muddy River supports native fish and provides a valuable wildlife corridor, connecting habitat around McKensie Reservoir upstream through rural and low density developed lands to Spring Lake and beyond. This acquisition will contribute to the assurance of clean and ample public drinking water, protecting an unfragmented diverse mature forest, open meadow land, wetlands, and a floodplain corridor. Passive recreation offered at the site includes walking, hiking, viewsheds, bird watching and stream fishing. The parcel will be accessible via Williams Road with parking for 2-4 cars, with trails throughout the forested areas.

Read more from the news release below:

“Since the Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition program began in 1998, more than $161 million in state funding has been awarded to municipalities, nonprofit land conservation organizations, and water companies to assist in the purchase of more than 43,000 acres of publicly accessible land,” DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes said. “Open space preservation is more important now than ever. These lands provide critical natural climate mitigation solutions, protect our important wildlife habitat and species, maintain healthy air and clean water, and provide outdoor recreational opportunities for Connecticut residents. The historic awards announced today will have a significant positive impact on public access to open space in our state. It is also critical to ensure that protected open spaces are equally accessible to all Connecticut residents. We are also encouraged to see that recent changes to the open pace program’s scoring criteria, which prioritize accessibility via public transit and proximity to urban and more densely populated communities, have resulted in over a quarter of the acres protected by this grant round being in economically distressed communities.”

The Connecticut General Assembly established a goal of protecting 673,210 acres (21%) of the state’s land base as open space. The goal calls for 320,576 acres (10%) to be held by DEEP as part of the state’s system of parks, forests, fisheries, and natural resource management areas, and 352,634 acres (11%) to be acquired by DEEP’s partners, which include municipalities, nonprofit land conservation organizations, and water companies.

As of December 31, 2023, DEEP estimates that its partners held approximately 253,682 acres (71.5%) of their share of the state’s open space goal, and that DEEP held approximately 263,528 acres (82.22%) of its share of the state’s goal. In total, 517,210 acres have been preserved (76.82% of the total goal), leaving an additional 156,000 acres remaining to meet the 21% open space goal.

While the number of acres conserved is important, what is equally important is where those acres are and who they are accessible to. DEEP will continue to ensure that these funds are distributed equitably across the state. Prior to the 2021 grant round, DEEP and its partners adjusted the scoring criteria for Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Grant Program to factor in the ability to access sites via public transportation and the population density within the project vicinity. These changes have helped make the program scoring more equitable, ensuring some of Connecticut’s most in-need communities receive funding for much-needed open space protection. This round, four of the top scoring projects will bring additional open space to target investment communities and distressed municipalities.

Recent changes to state statutes will add 48 additional underserved communities to the list of areas eligible for increased funding through the Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Grant Program and will make them eligible for additional aid for incidental costs associated with the application process.