The Town of Trumbull Conservation Commission, in partnership with Sustainable Trumbull, is looking for town residents to take a survey that will help guide town priorities regarding conservation issues as well as environmental projects.
One of the greatest aspects of Trumbull is the green space, the tree-lined streets, the parklands & trails and the great Pequonnock River Valley. Residents chose Trumbull partially because of these natural resources. These very important topics are overseen by passionate volunteer-based commissions with very little funding and do not have any town staff to help manage or implement the initiatives long term. In order for ongoing and future development in this town to be balanced with Conservation goals, we need your help to share your interest and priorities. Your voice for conservation will tell town organizations that conservation and sustainability matter to create and enforce policies to preserve the beautiful open spaces and parks that make Trumbull so special.
Trumbull was awarded Silver Certification by the Sustainable CT Initiative, one of only 26 towns state- wide who received this certification thanks to the multi-year efforts of the committee of 6 volunteers who worked tirelessly evaluating 9 aspects of Sustainability initiatives and practices in the town (https://www.trumbull-ct.gov/888/Sustainable-Trumbull) . There is no gold currently certification available, but in order for Trumbull to ultimately achieve that goal, we need your help telling us how we can increase town participation in sustainable efforts for the future.
The Conservation Commission, created in 2007 by a unanimous vote of Town Council , supported by then First Selectman Ray Baldwin, and spearheaded by current chair and Yale Forestry graduate Mary Ellen Lemay, has been working behind the scenes driving real and lasting advances in land stewardship. For the last 13 years the CC has been instrumental in:
- the launching of Geographic Information Systems (GIS),
- a first ever Trumbull Natural Resource Inventory (NRI),
- advisory reports to our land use boards on stormwater management tree protection,
- a tree management policy,
- outreach and education on landscape best practices,
- and currently working in concert with P&Z and IWWC to improve zoning regulations for land use protection in the face of increased storm risk to our community.
This Survey has been designed by one of our Conservation Commissioners, Sara Sterling, whose expertise as a market researcher and data scientist is helping the team to draft a survey that will inform the direction we need to take for the next 5 years or more.
These two teams (Conservation and Sustainable CT) are working together on initiatives for the future like tree replacement for the thousands of trees that have been lost to utility vegetative management and development over the years. Replanting Initiatives like those in our neighboring town of Fairfield are making lasting positive changes for the future streetscapes and the ecological diversity that depends on trees. If we find through the survey, however, that it is not a priority to plant for the future generations here in Trumbull, the idea will be tabled.
Taking this survey will help our teams to “take the temperature” of this town on these issues so that we can plan more strategically where to put our time and energy. Trumbull relies on our residents to help keep these issues moving forward
The Survey will be open from April 1-April 16, 2022 and the results will be released on Earth Day.
Please take a moment to share your thoughts with us on town environmental priorities by clicking on the link here: https://forms.gle/74vHwhS5yx1kcYw5A