Conservation Commission

Members

  • Kim Botelho, Chair
  • Edward Prybylski, Vice Chairman
  • Shaun McColgan
  • Nick Kaplanis, Advisor
  • Will Michael, Advisor
  • Brian Batterson
  • Peter Elste
  • Peter Jennings
  • Vacant
  • Rich Hale, Alternate
  • Jack Robbins, Alternate

Overview

The Conservation Commission's mission is to assure that Danbury maintains an adequate stock of open space resources for its citizens to have opportunities for passive recreation, outdoor exercise, environmental education, artistic inspiration, and spiritual respite."…of what avail are 40 freedoms without a blank spot on the map?" (Aldo Leopold)

The major responsibility of the commission is to recommend to the Mayor and Common Council the parcels of open space that should be acquired - either by purchase or donation- and the uses of those parcels. The inventory of open space conducted by the commission and the land trust during 2001 to 2004 was used to develop the priorities in the Open Space Bond Report of 2008, written by Jack Kozuchowski of Kozuchowski Environmental Consulting, advisor to the Conservation Commission. To view the complete, detailed report of the recommended purchases, please click on the link above (Open Space Bond Report 2008).

City of Danbury Open Space Bond Acquisition

The following is a brief summary of the open space initiative which resulted in the recommendations presented at the May 22, 2008, informational community meeting. The initiative which began in 2001 culminated in the passing of the Open Space Bond Acquisition in 2008. Currently, there are thirteen properties which are being considered for acquisition. The following is a summary of the thirteen properties and the weighting criteria used to prioritize each property. In addition, other factors such as the feasibility of the projects, the density of the open space in the area of the city where the property is located, and the need for preserving open space in an area that has intense development were considered.

Weighting Criteria: 50% Eco score: Total size of property desirable habitat

  • Public Accessibility
  • Proximity to other open space
  • 40% Value per acre
  • 5% Greenways
  • 5% Percent of Bond
  • The thirteen areas and their scores follow. The higher score indicates a higher priority.
  • Great Plain Farm - 6
  • Bear Mountain Annex - 4
  • Old Quarry Nature Center Annex - 8
  • Lone Ridge Road - 6
  • Eureka Reservoir - 7
  • Mountain Pond - 8
  • Terre Haute - 9
  • Sugar Hollow Lake connector - 8
  • Ives Trail West - 9
  • Sanford's Pond - 9
  • *Padanaram south -6, Padanaram north - 9
  • Wooster Mountain-Tarrywile Park connector - 9
  • (*Padanaram south has already been acquired)
  • The possibilities of easements on some properties also exist. There appears to be difficulty in acquiring the Terre Haute, Mountain Pond, and Eureka Reservoir properties.
  • Several conservation construction projects are also being considered. The following are examples of such projects:
  • Padanaram Greenway corridor -bridges, boardwalks, water quality basins, fencing
  • Mill Plain Swamp Boardwalk- feasibility study, design, construction
  • Margerie Reservoir Greenway -design, engineering, construction costs
  • Sanford Pond - trail creation, possible transformation of buildings
  • Completion of Lake Kenosia hedgerow
  • There are at present three options:
  • Option 1: (NOT recommended)
    • Terre Haute (Aggressive)
    • Sugar Hollow Lake (Soft)
    • Padanaram South (Soft)
    • No money left for conservation construction projects
  • Option 2:
    • Sanford's Pond (Aggressive)
    • Padanaram North (Moderate)
    • Padanaram South (Acquired)
    • Terre Haute (Soft)
    • Wooster Mountain State Park-Tarrywile Connector (Moderate)
    • Sugar Hollow Lake (Aggressive)
    • Ives Trail West (Soft)
    • Conservation Construction - $500,000
  • Option 3:
    • Sanford's Pond (Moderate)
    • Padanaram North (Aggressive)
    • Padanaram South (Acquired)
    • Terre Haute (Soft)
    • Wooster Mountain State Park-Tarrywile Connector (Moderate)
    • Sugar Hollow Lake (Aggressive)
    • Ives Trail West (Soft)
    • Conservation Construction - $500,000

This is a flexible plan and can be changed. Thank you to the citizens of Danbury for overwhelmingly supporting open space bypassing the bond issue.