"Dedicated to constant vigilance, judicious management and conservation of our precious natural resources."

Mission Statement: "To promote the statutory responsibilities of Connecticut Conservation Commissions and Inland Wetland Commissions and to foster environmental quality through education and through the conservation and protection of wetlands and other natural resources."

Job Opportunity - Town of Westport vacancy for a Conservation Compliance Officer <click here for details>

2020 Conference

Connecticut Association of Conservation & Inland Wetlands Commissions
43rd Annual Meeting & Environmental Conference
“Promoting Conservation & Preserving Habitats During the COVID-19 Pandemic”

Was held Saturday, December 5, 2020

The CACIWC 2020 43rd Annual Meeting and Environmental Conference was held Saturday, December 5, 2020. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic our annual meeting was presented in the form of a virtual conference.

Two specialty workshop tracks for Conservation Commission and Inland Wetlands Agency commissioners and their staff will follow the keynote address.  These workshops will provide information on invasive plants, a review of major wetlands cases in Connecticut, best approaches to wetlands regulation during the pandemic and understanding the State water plan.

Keynote presentation by Jason C. White, PhD, Director, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station

The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) was established in 1875 and is the oldest agricultural experiment station in the United States.  The institute is a relatively small but separate agency of the State of Connecticut.  While the primary mission of the CAES is research, educational and outreach programs are also an important function of the agency.  These programs help promote the use of new research findings to solve emerging agricultural, public health and environmental problems in Connecticut.

Membership Dues July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021 are Now Due!   Membership Application & Renewal Forms Click here for the printable form for mailing payment with a check Click here for the online form for paying by credit card

CACIWC members The final version of Connecticut's 2015 Wildlife Action Plan has been approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The plan is on the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) Click here       CACIWC supports proposed definition to the Clean Water Act Click here

Emerald Ash Borer Found in Prospect and Naugatuck, Connecticut

New Haven, CT – The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) and the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) todayannounced that the emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) was detected in Prospect, CT on July 16, 2012 by staff members at CAES. The identification has been confirmed by federal regulatory officials in the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine (USDA APHIS-PPQ). This is the first record of this pest in Connecticut, which is added to 15 other states where infestations have been detected. A new probable site of infestation is located in the Naugatuck State Forest. The beetle identification is unconfirmed. The emerald ash borer is responsible for the death and decline of tens of millions of ash trees from the mid-west to New York State and south to Tennessee. Ash makes up about 4% to 15% of Connecticut's forests and is a common urban tree.

Click here to read Press Release from The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station

ALERT
Report Sightings of Invasive Mile-A-Minute

Vine Mile-a-minute vine is a highly invasive annual plant from eastern Asia that can quickly cover, outcompete and replace native vegetation, damaging habitat for native plants and animals. Early detection and rapid response are essential for control. Mile-a-minute was first found in Connecticut in Fairfield County in 1997. Since then, it has spread to 20 Connecticut towns, as far east as Stonington and as far north as Simsbury. Mile-a-minute spreads by seed and quickly grows into dense stands. Seeds are spread by wind and water.

Visit mam.uconn.edu/ for additional identification tips, photographs and control information. You can also contact Logan Senack (logan.senack@uconn.edu) or Donna Ellis (860-486-6448; donna.ellis@uconn.edu) for additional information. To report a suspected mile-a-minute invasion, visit the above website or contact Donna Ellis at UConn at 860-486-6448.

Other Conferences and Workshops

No other conferences at this time. Check back!

Stream Temperature Monitoring

If you plan to conduct stream temperature monitoring you must be check for quaility control measures.

Contact Meghan Lally, CT DEEP
P: 860.424.3061
E: DEEP.VolunteerStreamMonitoroing@ct.gov 

Planning for Agriculture:
A Guide for Connecticut Municipalities

American Farmland Trust and Connecticut Conference of Municipalities are pleased to announce the release of the updated Planning for Agriculture: A Guide for Connecticut Municipalities. The 63-page guide is a tool to assist town boards, local elected officials and citizen advocates in finding ways to support local farms and farm businesses and to retain and protect farmland. An electronic version of the guide is available online at: www.farmland.org/connecticut OR www.ct.gov/doag

Your Environmental Toolkit for Properly Assessing Development Proposals

CACIWC is pleased to provide Conservation Commissions with a new environmental toolkit pamphlet to help commissioners properly assess development proposals that may come before their town. Click here to download pamphlet.

Historical find in Haddam

Yellow groove running bamboo has naturalized by rhizomes washing downstream. Naturalized colony documented on 7-28-2013 in Pine Brook Preserve - Haddam, CT.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvmyqeKn2N0