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Litchfield conservation panel declines to rank properties in open-space plan, schedules riparian-buffer presentation
Summary
At its June 23 meeting the Litchfield Conservation Commission agreed not to prioritize specific properties for town acquisition—citing funding limits and acquisition complexity—outlined mapping priorities for the draft open-space plan, and set a Sept. 30 presentation on riparian buffers.
The Litchfield Conservation Commission reviewed its draft open-space plan at a June 23 meeting and decided it will not prioritize specific parcels for town acquisition, saying the town lacks the funding and the acquisition process is cumbersome. Chair Barbara Putnam called the meeting to order at 7:04 p.m. and led members through mapping priorities and next steps.
The decision not to single out properties came after members compared the draft plan with the Commission’s outline for creating a plan. Vice Chair Diane Stoner offered to use artificial intelligence tools to combine the two documents to produce a consolidated draft. The Commission identified a set of landscape features to highlight in the plan, including scenic roads and roadside stone walls; water bodies and drinking-water sources (reservoirs and groundwater aquifers); hiking-trail systems maintained by White Memorial, the Litchfield Community Greenway, and the Litchfield Land Trust; woodland areas and core forests; prime and important farmland soils; steep slopes and viewsheds; and wetlands and riparian buffers regulated by the Inland Wetland Commission.
Putnam said she has discussed the Commission’s intent to include the open-space plan in the 2027 POCAD with Planning & Zoning Chair Carol Bramley and First Selectwoman Denise Raap, signaling coordination with town planning efforts. The minutes record an outreach and education item: a presentation on Riparian Streamside Buffers was scheduled for Sept. 30 at 7:00 p.m. at the Litchfield Community Center, and the minutes state that Commission member Marcia Fowler agreed to contact Alicia Charamut of the Housatonic Valley Association about her availability. Members also discussed doing a mailing to landowners with frontage on important streams and rivers to raise awareness of the topic.
On enforcement, Putnam said she spoke with the land use administrator about enforcement of conservation easements owned by the town and that it was unclear how much enforcement support he could provide given competing responsibilities. The minutes note that Putnam will explore adding a member of Sustainable Litchfield to the Commission to broaden capacity and connections.
On routine business, the Commission approved the May minutes on a motion by Diane Stoner, seconded by Chester Reed; the April minutes were recorded as tabled until July. The meeting adjourned at 8:16 p.m.
The Commission’s next action items recorded in the minutes are: using AI to combine plan drafts, mapping the listed conservation priorities, confirming the Sept. 30 riparian presentation (including outreach to riverfront landowners), and investigating enforcement capacity and membership additions. The minutes do not record any formal vote to prioritize properties or to change acquisition policy beyond the stated agreement not to rank parcels.
