The Borderlands Project is focused on creating opportunities for economic and community development in our rural village centers along the CT-RI border while conserving and enhancing the natural amenities that make these communities unique. In the twenty town Borderlands region, the Project works to:
The Borderlands Project evolved from a Nature Conservancy initiative launched in 2001 aimed at protecting and restoring a 136,000-acre critical forest and watershed area that encompasses parts of 10 communities along the southeastern and southwestern CT-RI border (known within The Nature Conservancy as the Pawcatuck Borderlands). While the Conservancy continues to work towards conservation of these lands, its staff also recognized the need to develop strategies to improve the ability of citizens and stakeholders to work together to address the challenges and changes that face the landscape and its people.
In the spring of 2003, the Conservancy participated in a regional collaborative sponsored by the Eastern CT Chamber of Commerce and the RI Economic Policy Council. While the effort was largely focused on improving three economic clusters (maritime industries, tourism, and defense), it also identified the Borderlands as a shared resource that is crucial to maintaining the high quality of place in southern New England.
From this finding, the Conservancy and the Policy Council formed a partnership to explore ways to protect this landscape. Their initial research indicated that that while the ten Pawcatuck Borderlands’ communities share common concerns such as the need to create affordable housing, the desire to reduce reliance on residential property taxes, and the hope of maintaining the rural character of the communities, there is currently no outlet to bring these parties together to discuss their shared problems. Furthermore, the jurisdictional fragmentation inherent in the two-state nature of the region exacerbates this communication divide.
Through a series of local events, including a one-day regional Clinic facilitated by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy held in May 2005, the Policy Council and Conservancy invited local residents, business owners and other stakeholders to voice their perspectives on the Borderlands. Participants shared their thoughts on the assets and challenges facing these communities and pushed for a broader definition of the Borderlands – to include all the CT-RI border communities that share a similar rural character. In addition, participants called for actions from more coordinated conservation strategies to integrated and innovative rural economic development initiatives.
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