Open Space Land Acquisition Committee

History:

The Hebron Open Space Land Acquisition Committee, formed by Town Ordinance on June 4, 1998, consists of seven members including one representative for each of the following Boards or Commissions: Board of Selectmen and Finance, and the Planning and Zoning, Parks and Recreation and Conservation Commissions. Three members from the public also serve on the Committee. The Committee is charged with the responsibility of evaluating and recommending open space land purchases to the Board of Selectmen.

The Ordinance also created a Hebron Open Space Land Acquisition Fund, to be used for preservation and acquisition of open space. The Fund is financed primarily by an annual appropriation of up to ½ of a mil as approved in the town budget. Land Acquisition funds are also derived from fees received by the Town in lieu of open space dedications required with subdivision applications, from state grants and from voluntary contributions. Open Space land can be acquired or preserved through direct purchase by the Town, by the acquisition of conservation easements or by the purchase of development rights.

How Does Open Space Benefit You?

Click on the link below to learn more about how the Town of Hebron acquiring open space benefits the Town and its residents.

The Committee continued to work closely with other Town boards and land use commissions in open space planning and evaluating open space preservation possibilities, especially for those parcels that can be linked into a town-wide greenway system.

The Committee identified its four highest priority areas within the town for open space preservation: The Fawn Brook/West Branch Fawn Brook corridor, the Raymond Brook Marsh area and the Judd Brook area for passive recreational and natural resource protection and the Gilead Hill area for farmland preservation.

Read the Committee’s latest Annual Report for more information:

Open Space Annual Report FYE2022

Open Space Acquisitions:

Since the adoption of the Open Space Land Acquisition Fund and the Committee, from 1998 through March of 2021, the Town has purchased, or has accepted as gifts, a total of 725 acres of open space and recreational land.  During this same time-frame, the Town has worked closely with the State of Connecticut as they have purchased, an additional 488 acres of other valuable open space land in Hebron, including open space along the Air Line Trail.  This is in addition to the 604 acres of development rights purchased by the State of CT to permanently preserve farmland in Hebron since 1998.  Overall, this accounts for over 1,817 acres preserved in Hebron since 1998.  These cooperative efforts, as well as Hebron’s success in securing State of Connecticut open space preservation grants, have resulted in the preservation of open space for recreational use, natural resource protection, and the preservation of agricultural land, while at the same time maximizing the effectiveness of the Town’s funds.  Click here to view a 2021 updated power point presentation containing additional information on the efforts of the Open Space Land Acquisition Committee.

OSLAC Budget Presentation 2023

Town’s Open Space Inventory:

Please click on the following link to view Hebron current Open Space Map:

_Hebron’s 2021_Open Space Map

Salmon River Watershed Partnership:

The Town and the Open Space Land Acquisition Committee has worked closely with the Salmon River Watershed Partnership in a long-term effort to take actions to preserve and protect the water quality of the Salmon River that nine towns share.   Two of the Committee members serve on the Partnership Board.  One of the first products of the Partnership is a “Salmon River Watershed Municipal Land Use Evaluation Project”. This report reviews and makes recommendations on land use regulations and public works maintenance practices of all towns in the Watershed. The Partnership has sponsored training and workshops, as well as water quality monitoring efforts, throughout the Watershed.

Click here to see a copy of the 2019 Annual SRW Partnership Newsletter.  SRWP Newsletter 2020 Final (1).

For a full copy of the Salmon River Watershed Municipal Land Use Evaluation Project report, please Click Here.

Additional information about the Partnership including the results of their water quality testing in Hebron and throughout the watershed, can be found on their website and by clicking here: https://www.salmonriverct.org/

Committee Membership:

The Committee is chaired by Brian O’Connell, with the full membership as follows: