Preserving the Past While Protecting the Future

Connecticut is a breathtakingly beautiful state. Residents are keenly aware of the natural beauty our state possesses and out of state guests have caught on too. In fact, Tourism in Connecticut is a $4 billion-a-year business.

The state has more trees per square foot than any state. A great attribute when leaf viewing season arrives every fall. With its wealth of open land, Connecticut’s scenery is some of New England’s most beautiful.

For these reasons and many others I support the newly founded, Fairfield County Preservation Network. The group has been created under the joint umbrella of the Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County and the Cultural Alliance of Western Connecticut.

The preservation network will work to preserve the past while protecting the future. One example of that goal is preserving colonial heritage. This way of life is one of the state’s best selling points and is most reflected in its scores of colonial villages that are filled with historic homes and landmarks amid rolling farmlands.

As a child, I played in Connecticut barn haylofts and road on the back of red tractors amid my uncles’ apple orchards and dairy farms.

I also watched my father carefully place the stones in a multitude of the state’s iconic stone walls throughout New Haven County. They were to become his artistic legacy long after he passed on.

Because we are a small and dense state the pressure for development can be very great. Simply leveling important historical buildings is not the answer and can do more harm than good, unless there is strong advocacy on the part of groups like the Fairfield County Preservation Network to stop the destruction of historical property.

The Network will help to retain the best attributes of our communities. I know from personal experience there is power in organizing citizens who are like minded. I have helped to successfully fight against large developments in small neighborhoods, through reservoir water property and stopped highways from blazing through colonial villages.

This historic charm – which is often taken for granted – contributes to the community’s identity and high quality of life.

The peer group that has been created through The Fairfield County Preservation Network will be a powerful antidote to tearing away at the best parts of a community.

If you are interested in volunteering for the new Preservation Network please contact: David Green, Director of Programs: [email protected] – or call 203-256-2329.