Connecticut
CT Awards $1.8M To Preserve Open Space Parcel In Monroe
MONROE, CT — A property in Monroe is the beneficiary of a state grant program meant to aid in the purchase and protection of open space through 17 projects in 18 municipalities across Connecticut.
Known as the Benedict Property, the 65-acre parcel is adjacent to the existing Pequonnock/Housatonic Railbed Greenway, and was sponsored by Aspetuck Land Trust and the Town of Monroe. It has been awarded a grant of $1,803,750.
The Pequonnock River Trail runs along the eastern property boundary, sandwiched between this property and the 346-acre William Wolfe Park. The sponsors plan to link the Benedict property to this trail and increase recreational opportunities within the subject parcel as well as Wolfe Park. This property contains ideal habitat for numerous State-listed species of conservation, and will be used to create an off-street parking area, and hiking trail network with scenic vistas, open meadows, and dense woods, according to a statement released by the Governor’s Office Wednesday. This parcel features extensive wildlife habitat, wetlands, and a complex of meadows.
Statewide, $14.5 million in grants have been awarded to aid in the purchase and protection of more than 2,626 acres of open space. Additionally, $343,015 in state grants are being awarded to create two new urban community green spaces in Stratford and Thomaston.
These funds are being provided through the state’s Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Grant Program and the Urban Green and Community Gardens Grant Program, both of which are administered by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. They mark the largest round of open space protection awards – both by acreage protected and by dollars awarded – in more than a decade.
The Connecticut General Assembly established a goal of protecting 673,210 acres (21 percent) of the state’s land base as open space. The goal calls for 320,576 acres (10 percent) to be held by DEEP as part of the state’s system of parks, forests, fisheries, and natural resource management areas, and 352,634 acres (11 percent) to be acquired by DEEP’s partners, which include municipalities, nonprofit land conservation organizations, and water companies.
As of December 31, 2023, DEEP estimates that its partners held approximately 253,682 acres (71.5 percent) of their share of the state’s open space goal, and that DEEP held approximately 263,528 acres (82.22 percent) of its share of the state’s goal. In total, 517,210 acres have been preserved (76.82 percent of the total goal), leaving an additional 156,000 acres remaining to meet the 21 percent open space goal.
“Since the Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition program began in 1998, more than $161 million in state funding has been awarded to municipalities, nonprofit land conservation organizations, and water companies to assist in the purchase of more than 43,000 acres of publicly accessible land,” DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes said. “Open space preservation is more important now than ever. These lands provide critical natural climate mitigation solutions, protect our important wildlife habitat and species, maintain healthy air and clean water, and provide outdoor recreational opportunities for Connecticut residents.”
The grants announced Wednesday are the 26th round awarded under these programs.
New Canaan faces Cheshire in the 2025 Connecticut high school Class L football state championship on Saturday afternoon.
The game begins at 4 p.m. EST on Saturday, Dec. 13, at Veterans Stadium in New Britain, Connecticut.
The game will stream live on the NFHS Network.
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What: Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) Class L football championship
Who: New Canaan vs. Cheshire
When: Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025
Where: Veterans Stadium in New Britain, Connecticut
Time: 4 p.m. EST
Stream: NFHS Network
Tickets: $11,50
Record, MaxPrep state rankings: New Canaan 12-0, No. 1; Cheshire 9-3, No. 11
Here’s more information about the game from the Hartford Courant, via the Tribune News Service:
New Canaan is going for its 16th state title and fourth straight under veteran coach Lou Marinelli and New Canaan outscored its playoff opponents, 85-13. Cheshire’s last finals appearance was 2009, when coach Don Drust was an assistant for the Rams’ team, which beat Staples in overtime to win a Class LL title. Cheshire rallied from a 19-point deficit against Fairfield Ludlowe to win the Class L quarterfinal game and beat Ridgefield 21-0 in the semifinals. QB Aiden Gregorich’s pass to Liam Suomala proved to be the game-winning touchdown with 10 seconds left in the quarterfinal.
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Have you still seen a lot of mini-liquor bottles, littering the streets in Connecticut?
Members of one environmental group said they still see them, and believe a ban is the best way to solve a multi-tiered problem.
State data shows in the past 12 months, ending September 30, there were more than 93 million mini-liquor bottles sold in our state.
The group supporting local bans says it’s not just the litter, but also the fact mini-liquor bottles are easy to conceal and consume on the job, in the car, or at school.
The group “Connecticut Towns Nixing the Nip” met this week, working on strategies to get a legislative hearing on the issue in the upcoming 2026 session.
Right now, stores collect a 5-cent surcharge for every mini-liquor bottle sold, resulting in about $5 million annually for town and city environmental cleanup efforts.
Town funding from nip sales
Average revenue per year 2021 to 2025.
“Having talked to a number of towns, well a few towns, they like the money, said Tom Metzner, a member of the group. “It’s fairly broad in how it can be used. It’s environmental. It doesn’t have to be used for cleaning up nips. And so the towns have become somewhat silent on the issue of banning nips.”
The group cited Chelsea, Massachusetts, where minis are banned, both litter and alcohol related EMS calls decreased.
The Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of Connecticut, which devised the “nickel per nip” program, said banning the mini-liquor bottles would be unprecedented.
Instead, it said the environmental group should be challenging municipalities to prove they actually use the money for cleanup.
Legislative leaders suggested several years ago the way to really do this is to have a redemption program for mini liquor bottles, and now, that could be possible.
At least one state with the Clynk bottle collection program has redeemed mini-liquor bottles for cash.
The company just announced a major expansion in our state, but it told us it is not aware of a redemption program for mini-liquor bottles here any time soon.
National trust in the federal government is at some of its lowest levels in nearly seven decades, and many Connecticut residents fall in line with that belief, a survey found.
New data from the Pew Research Center found only 17% of Americans believe that what the government does is right either “just about always” or “most of the time,” hitting one of the lowest points Pew has seen since first asking this question in 1958. And according to a DataHaven survey, Connecticut residents trust the federal government less than state or local institutions.
While these are some of the lowest polling numbers seen in American history, national trust in the federal government has been on the decline for decades. Public trust initially dropped in the 1960s and ’70s during the Vietnam War from a near 80% but began rising again in the 1980s into the early ’90s. Trust peaked again after 9/11 before falling.
The DataHaven survey found that of all Connecticut residents surveyed, only 9% trust the federal government “a great deal” to look out for the best interests of them and their family. About 28% trust the federal government “a fair amount.”
Federal government trust among Connecticut residents was at its highest in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the federal stimulus programs and child tax credit were active.
The DataHaven survey also asked about trust in local and state government. Connecticut residents generally trust these institutions more than they trust the federal government, the survey found.
Trust in the local governments was higher than trust in both state and federal, with 67% of residents surveyed trusting their local government “a great deal” or “a fair amount.”
And when it came to state government, 61% of residents trust the state “a great deal” or “a fair amount.”
However, across the board, white residents are more likely to trust local and state government than are residents of color. Black residents had higher levels of trust in government than Latino and Puerto Rican residents, but less than white residents.
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