MAP: How Much of Your Town Is Open Space?

One of the central charms of Connecticut is the scenic views and large tracts of undeveloped open space, conserved for recreation and the preservation of the state’s ecosystem.

Maintaining open space is important for more than just outdoor recreation and aesthetics — large areas of untouched land are essential for a healthy environment.

“Forested areas are especially adept at removing carbon from the atmosphere, which helps to minimize global climate change, and floodplains, coastal waterfront and adjacent uplands provide opportunities to respond to the anticipated effects of climate change,” according to the state’s Green Plan (which is currently undergoing a revision). “Other valuable open space services are… contributions to local sustainable economy from wood, food and fiber production, and maintenance of the diversity of Connecticut’s landscape. Open space also can provide a variety of specific ecological functions such as preserving biodiversity, habitat for rare species, streamflow and water supply protection, and flood control.”

The interactive map above — color-coded by the percent of total acres conserved — shows data on open space conservation for 158 of Connecticut’s 169 towns, gathered from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and municipal plans of conservation and development.

The totals include federal and state land, as well as parcels owned locally by municipalities and land trusts.

(Data on total open space was not available for Barkhamsted, Bozrah, Chester, Darien, Deep River, East Haven, Lyme, Old Saybrook, Plymouth, Stamford and West Haven. Figures for Branford, Bridgeport, Easton, Norwalk and Orange are estimates.)

Percents of town area conserved range widely across the state, from 0.3 percent in Waterford to a high of just over 70 percent in Hartland, which has more than 15,500 acres of preserved terrain.

Almost 80 towns have less than 15 percent of land preserved (shown in red on the map), and another 30 are below the state goal of 21 percent (purple on the map).

Towns between 21 percent and 30 percent are shown in blue on the map; more than 30 percent are marked yellow; and over 45 percent conserved are green.

Now get out and see what the state has to offer. If you need somewhere to start, check out this rundown of Connecticut Patch editors’ favorite spots.