The Follow the Forest Initiative strives to protect and connect forest habitat throughout the Northeast
The Housatonic watershed is the keystone of a vast wildlife corridor, bounded by the Hudson River on the West, the Connecticut River on the East, and Long Island Sound to the South. In 2016, HVA created the Follow the Forest Initiative in close collaboration with partners in the Litchfield Hills Greenprint Collaborative. Our vision of a connected landscape extends far beyond the Housatonic watershed and encompasses lands stretching from the Hudson River to the forests of Canada.
Follow the Forest Interactive Map
A large, continental vision translated to a local scale…
Conserving land is a highly-local activity. Every town, every landowner, every parcel has its own unique characteristics, advantages and challenges. Local land trusts, conservation organizations, and even local government boards and commissions are crucial.
HVA uses the most current data available to target the most sensitive and threatened lands and build local coalitions to preserve them. Follow the Forest focuses on forest cores of 250+ contiguous acres and their linkages. This threshold for forest patches is a scientifically recognized minimum needed to sustain important woodland species.
Little by little we have already conserved thousands of acres and set our sights on many more.
Our long term goal? To permanently protect 50,000 acres of connected forest habitat with secure passage for wildlife in the Housatonic watershed by 2035. That means protecting ~5,000 acres per year. As of 2021, we are on track to achieving this goal.
Get Involved. Follow the Forest With Us Today.
