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."

As a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization CACIWC, Inc.'s goals are to: provide timely information and education to all of the municipal Conservation and Inland Wetland Commissions in Connecticut, establish Conservation Commissions in towns where they do not exist, provide coordination and assistance in carrying out the purposes of Conservation and Inland Wetland Commissions, and educate Connecticut citizens in the preservation and management of natural resources. For more information on CACIWC, Inc. and its activities, please send request and questions by email to: board@caciwc.org.

Our History

The Connecticut Association of Conservation and Inland Wetlands Commissions, Inc. (CACIWC ), a 501 (c) (3) corporation, was established in 1974 to provide education and information to the volunteers and staff that carry out the responsibilities of Connecticut’s municipal Conservation and Inland Wetlands Commissions. Please click here for CACIWC Bylaws and here , "The History of the Conservation Commissions" for more information.

About the Organization

Membership
CACIWC membership is open to all Connecticut municipal Conservation Commissions and Inland Wetlands Commissions, individuals and organizations. Membership is based on annual fees. Click here for the 2024-25 fee schedule and application form. Voting members are those commissions that support CACIWC through membership fees. Individual and organization members cannot vote but do receive all CACIWC services noted below, including the quarterly newsletter, The Habitat.

Administration
CACIWC is guided by a Board of Directors elected at the Association’s Annual Meeting by representatives of member commissions, which are  commissions are those that contribute member dues. The Board consists of a President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer, eight regional voting representatives, eight alternates (one each from each county). The Board of Directors set policy and operational guidelines, organize workshops, provide outreach to commissions in their respective counties/regions, and represent CACIWC on other statewide environmental organizations. The Board of Directors meets monthly, scheduled on a yearly basis. Please contact us at board@caciwc.org if you are interested in serving on our board or have any questions on our administration.

Services
CACIWC provides the only continuous information and education service available to Connecticut’s Conservation and Inland Wetlands Commissions.

Services include:

• Publications, including a quarterly newsletter, The Habitat.
• CACIWC.org, an interactive web site for commissions and community communication and education.
• On-call information source and referral service. See Location and Communication below.
• Annual Meeting and Environmental Conference: A day-long event with keynote speakers, workshops, and exhibits for commissioners, staff and other members to learn and discuss community conservation issues with state and national experts, recognize their peers, network with other commissioners, and assist CACIWC in carrying out its administrative functions such as the election of board members.
• Our Listserv for Conservation and Inland Wetland Commissioners’: A low stress way to share information ask questions, find resources, post notices on information related to conservation and inland wetlands topics. For more information or to subscribe to the CACIWC Listserv contact Janice Fournier, fournijs@gmail.com

Location and Communication
The CACIWC office is located at the deKoven House Community Center, in Middletown, CT. Our mailing address is: CACIWC, Inc., deKoven House Community Center, 27 Washington Street, Middletown, CT 06457. You can email to: Board@caciwc.org

Operations
CACIWC operates on a budget of over $35,000 per year. The major sources of funding include: municipal membership dues, advertising from The Habitat and Annual Meeting registration fees and sponsorships. Membership income helps pay for the services noted above, office rent, a website administrator and other administrative costs. It is necessary to solicit donations, grants, and in-kind services to support continuous and timely information and education.

CACIWC carries out day-to-day functions primarily with volunteers. There are no paid staff. The Board of Directors handles operational planning and coordination of board committees and program activities. Board members organize workshops, provide outreach to commissions in their respective counties/regions, and represent CACIWC on other statewide environmental organizations. President Alan Siniscalchi also serves as the Editor of the quarterly newsletter and content advisor for the CACIWC website, caciwc.org. Ann Letendre serves as the  Associate Editor of The Habitat, assisting with editing and newsletter design and layout.

Membership Fees
Click here for the 2024-25 fee schedule and application form.

Policy Statement - Website Content

The Connecticut Association of Conservation and Inland Wetland Commissions (CACIWC) establishes the following policy to guide selection of material and information which is to be placed on this website:

The material presented on the web site shall be limited to information that promotes, educates and informs interested parties about the legislative mandate of Connecticut Conservation Commissions and Inland Wetlands Commissions, fosters environmental quality through education, and proactively promotes, protects and preserves the natural resources of the state.

The President shall be responsible for reviewing and assuring compliance with the policy statement. All information that is to be placed on CACIWC, Inc.'s web site must be reviewed and approved for posting by the President.

The following are guidelines for information that the website may include:

• Information, articles and opinions that facilitate carrying out the responsibilities of Conservation and Inland Wetlands Commissions.
• Articles, regulations, policies and other information that provide relevant information to Conservation Commissions, Inland Wetlands and Watercourse Commissions, municipal officials, private citizens and related agencies and organizations either private or public.
• Information, articles or opinions that promote the formation of Conservation Commissions and related groups and agencies.
• General information on conferences, workshops, or webinars of interest to CACIWC members or job opportunities within commissions, municipal offices or nonprofit organizations relevant to our members.
• Articles and information on environmentally related science, new technology, and organizations that promote environmental protection, preservation and education. This shall not be construed to be an advertisement or endorsement of any specific product, but rather information on the availability of new technology and methods that help to protect and preserve natural resources. In any instance that a trademark product is mentioned as an example, the following disclaimer must be inserted at the end of the article.
  • “CACIWC does not promote or endorse the use of any particular trademark or trade name product. The above information has been provided to promote environmental awareness and to protect and preserve natural resources. In all cases individual use of a product is at the sole discretion of the user.”
• The website shall not contain advertisements for consulting firms or legal firms, although commercial advertisements are permitted in The Habitat, and in our Annual Report and Conference Brochure. The logos of commercial sponsors for our Annual Conference and Environmental Conference may be also displayed on the conference page. The website may contain any of the publications, and policy statements authored by any of the CACIWC officers or by any other CACIWC member with approval of the President. The website may only link to sites that meet the intent of the policy statement and that provide additional informational resources for the web site user.
• The website shall not contain any publications, opinions or other material regarding pending litigation in any Court.
• The President shall respond to individuals who request opinions or positions on controversial questions or questions about pending litigation that essentially states that CACIWC offers no opinion regarding the question at this time.
  

Position Statement
Combined vs. Separate Conservation and Inland Wetlands Commissions

It is CACIWC’s position that every Connecticut town should have a Conservation Commission, and that the duties and responsibilities of that commission should not be combined with another town board or agency.[ complete statement ... ]

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