Berlin, West Hartford Among 5 CT Towns Added To Federal Conservation Program

WEST HARTFORD/BERLIN, CT — Five Connecticut communities, including West Hartford and Berlin, have been added to a federal conservation region, making them eligible for funding to protect open space, wildlife habitat and water resources.

Berlin, Bloomfield, New Britain, West Hartford and Windsor Locks are now part of the federal Highlands Conservation Act region, according to the Housatonic Valley Association.

The additions bring the number of eligible Connecticut municipalities to 48.

The Highlands Conservation Act grant program, administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, provides federal money that municipalities, land trusts and the state can combine with state, local and private funding for conservation projects.

The broader Highlands region encompasses more than 3.4 million acres across Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Congress established the program in 2004 to help conserve land important for drinking water, forests, wildlife, agriculture and outdoor recreation.

According to the Housatonic Valley Association, more than $80 million in federal conservation funding has been directed to the four-state region since the program began.

Connecticut has received more than $18.5 million through the program for 52 projects that have conserved more than 9,000 acres, the organization said.

Congress reauthorized the Highlands Conservation Act in 2022 and expanded the geographic area eligible for the program. Communities within areas identified by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service can voluntarily opt into the Highlands region, with requests reviewed by Connecticut and the federal agency.

The Housatonic Valley Association said it worked with the Trust for Public Land, Traprock Ridge Land Conservancy and the state to help the five newly eligible municipalities through that process.

The organization previously helped add 15 Connecticut communities in 2024 and 2025, bringing the number of municipalities added since the program's expansion to 20.

Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Land Acquisition and Management Office Director Lindsay Suhr said the additional federal funding can be combined with existing state open-space programs to support conservation and public access.

Highlands funding is often paired with Connecticut's Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Grant Program, along with municipal and private funding.

"The expansion of the Highlands region is ultimately about more than adding towns to the map. It's about giving communities another tool to turn local conservation priorities into action," Housatonic Valley Association Conservation Programs Director Julia Rogers said.

"When federal funding can be paired with state, municipal, land trust, and private investment, it can help communities protect the forests, streams, wetlands, and wildlife corridors that make Connecticut such a special place," Rogers said.'