Town of Ashford 2.4.3 Open Space Plan Also submit: How your plan will prioritize future acquisitions, enhance your local ecosystem, connect open space parcels, offer recreational benefits, and ensure long- term viability of your open space. Enhance the local ecosystem: Ashford, as part of a large water recharge area is obligated to care for our wetlands and streams, as well as, the land around them. Undeveloped land acts as a buffer in filtering polluted water and mitigates the impact of flooding. Forested areas remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Trees and parks reduce noise and temperature from the summer heat. Open spaces, particularly large unfragmented lands and linkages, maintain a healthy ecological base to support the propagation of both our native plants and animals. Finally, our open spaces provide us with the means to learn and study the functions of our natural surroundings. (Open Space Plan page 6) Recreational benefits: Open space in concert with historical and cultural sites defines our heritage. The attributes of our open spaces with trails, vistas, and lands maintained in a natural state create the ambiance that supports our sense of place. Our open spaces provide us with recreation and alternatives to the pressures we face on a daily basis. (Open Space Plan page 6) Long-term viability of open space: This is a long term plan, and allows for maintaining open space, protecting wetlands, forests, streams and waterways, and water quality while allowing for planned development. The Plan’s benefit, however, will be realized as the various land use commissions use it as an effective working guide for future land use management. (Open Space Plan Page 7) The economics of open space are both direct and indirect in their impact on the well-being of the community. Our streams, lakes, trails and other recreational features provided by open space support the larger regional tourist complex of the “Quiet Comer”. Forests, pasture, and tillable land have long been a source of income for the area, as we have continued to maintain our agricultural roots. Agriculture continues to have a large role in the valuable use of the land. Open space represents minimal use of municipal services. Expenses for education, new road construction, and fire and security services are nonexistent or minimized. Studies have shown that maintaining open space requires significantly less municipal service expense and has a positive effect on property taxes. Finally, residential development is enhanced by the presence of abutting open space, therefore increasing its value to the property owner and the town’s grand list. (Open Space Plan page 6) Broad synergy and cooperation among all factors of Town government are necessary for a successful long-term outcome. (Open Space Plan page 17) Connect Open Space Parcels: The town has given consideration to the concept of greenways in its Open Space Plan. Ashford has two blue-blazed trails which are managed by the Connecticut Forest and Park Association: the Natchaug Trail and the Nipmuck Trail. The Nipmuck Trail traverses Ashford mainly via a southwest-northeast corridor leading from Mansfield to Union. The Natchaug Trail begins in Hampton and continues north through Chaplin and Eastford where it often follows Bigelow Brook before reaching Ashford near Ashford Lake. Just north of the Ashford Lake area, the Natchaug Trail crosses Moon Road and later crosses a tributary of the East branch of the Mount Hope River before reaching its terminus with the Nipmuck Trail. The two blue-blazed trails connect near Eastford-Westford and Boston Hollow Roads. Both the Natchaug Trail and the Nipmuck Trails act as greenways through Ashford, criss-crossing various brooks and rivers in the watershed areas. These trails pass through both private and state lands and are important linkages to Ashford's open space that are available to the public. (Open Space Plan page 16) Goals and Objectives: By utilizing the Town of Ashford’s Plan of Conservation and Development (2005) the Conservation Commission developed the following set of goals and objectives to provide guidance in the acquisition, conservation, and preservation efforts. 1. Provide sites to protect surface and subsurface water resources. 2. Add to existing committed open space. 3. Assemble green corridors by adding to existing open space. 4. Protect critical or threatened habitats. 5. Protect groundwater within existing or potential public drinking water supply aquifers. 6. Protect natural drainage ways. 7. Protect lands of cultural importance. 8. Provide sites for active and passive recreation. 9. Protect Ashford’s unique and significant natural features. 10. Preserve farmlands and viable forest land/woodland. 11. Preserve areas that shape community design and character. 12. Protect steep slopes. 13. Preserve areas that provide educational opportunities. 14. Protect areas from light and noise pollution. (Open Space Plan page 8)