RCP Stats

Coordinator: Lois Bruinooge, The Last Green Valley

Contact Info: lois@tlgv.org

Year started: 2012

Mission Statement:
(Statement of regional importance) “The Southern New England Heritage Forest is a 1.49 million-acre unfragmented forest corridor stretching along the Connecticut and Rhode Island border to the Quabbin Reservoir in Massachusetts. Bounded by more heavily urbanized areas, with more than one million nearby residents, the SNEHF has an astonishing 76% forest cover and offers one of the last viable wildlife corridors from southern to northern New England. The SNEHF is a green oasis and the last undeveloped region in the coastal sprawl from Boston to Washington, D.C. Because the SNEHF is so significant, a conservation partnership was formed to bring additional funding to the region through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.”

General Location: Eastern CT, South-central MA, Western RI

Acreage of Area Covered by Partnership: 1,487,855

Number of Partners: 20

RCP Status: Conserving

Steps Taken in Forming Partnership:

  • Engage landowners and/or municipal officials in your region
  • Engage state agencies, federal agencies, and/or philanthropic organizations
  • Coordinate or collaborate to conserve land as an RCP

Funding sources:

  • Federal Grant or Program - NRCS RCPP
  • Partner Organizations contribute significant matching time for outreach, education and admin costs

Website: http://thelastgreenvalley.org/learn-protect/agriculture-forestry/southern-new-england-heritage-forest/

Social Media: Facebook – The Last Green Valley; Instagram – The Last Green Valley

Maps and Images

Forum

RCP Activities

Specialties:

  • Mangaging RCPP Grant Implementation Strategic mapping
  • NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) implementation
  • NRCS Healthy Forests Reserve Program (HFRP) implementation
  • Landowner engagement
  • Partner engagement

Current Activities:

  • Strategic conservation planning and family forest owner outreach and engagement in conservation and stewardship activities
  • Large RCPP grant pending for forest management and permanent protection
  • Capacity building

Current Project Highlights:

  • Launched HFRP portion of the RCPP in summer 2018 and attracted more than 30 landowners seeking to protect approximately 2,500 acres of woodlands
  • Launched EQIP portion of RCPP in fall 2018, with application deadline in January 2019

Previous Projects/Accomplishments:

  • Have been awarded $6.1 million in new federal dollars for forest conservation project that includes money for habitat assessments, forest management plans, conservation practices, and permanent protection via easements.

Links to featured projects: