Cornwall-based HVA expands conservation network

CORNWALL — Five Connecticut municipalities have joined the federal Highlands Conservation Act region, making them eligible for grants to protect open space, wildlife habitat and water resources, the Cornwall-based Housatonic Valley Association announced last month.

Berlin, Bloomfield, New Britain, West Hartford and Windsor Locks join 43 Connecticut communities already eligible for grants administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The Highlands region encompasses more than 3.4 million acres across Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Established by Congress in 2004, the Highlands Conservation Act supports the conservation of land important to drinking water, forests, wildlife, agriculture and recreation.

Since the program began, more than $80 million from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund has been directed to projects across the four-state region.

In Connecticut, Highlands funding has supported 52 projects, conserving more than 9,000 acres and attracting more than $18.5 million in federal funding, according to HVA.

Those efforts include a 276-acre conservation project in Salisbury that protects forested land important to water quality in the Twin Lakes and the Wild and Scenic Housatonic River. The project combined Highlands funding with a state grant, private support and community contributions.

The Highlands Conservation Act was reauthorized in 2022, expanding the area eligible to participate. Municipalities in areas identified by the Fish and Wildlife Service may voluntarily join with state and federal approval.

HVA helped 15 Connecticut communities join in 2024 and 2025. The latest additions bring the number of newly eligible municipalities to 20.

“The expansion of the Highlands region is ultimately about more than adding towns to the map,” said Julia Rogers, HVA’s conservation programs director. “It’s about giving communities another tool to turn local conservation priorities into action.”