Litchfield Hills Council of Elected Official
Rick Lynn lhceo1@snet.net

Rick Lynn is the Planning Director of the Litchfield Hills Council of Elected Officials, the State-recognized regional planning organization for the 11-town Litchfield Hills area. Rick has held this position for the past twenty years, assisting local officials with various regional planning activities. He previously worked as a Senior Planner with the Housatonic Valley Council of Elected Officials, and as the Coordinator for the King's Mark Environmental Review Team. Rick has a Master's degree in Environmental Planning from Syracuse University and a Bachelor's degree in Biology from Albion College. He has served on Cornwall's Planning and Zoning Commission for the past eight years, and is also on the Board of Directors of the Cornwall Conservation Trust. He is a member of the American Planning Association and the American Institute of Certified Planners.

Northwestern Connecticut Council of Governments
Dan McGuinness nwccog1@snet.net

Dan McGuinness has been the Executive Director of Northwestern Connecticut Council of Governments since 1998. His prior professional planning experience includes: city planner for Torrington from 1989 to 1998 and planner in the Albany, NY County Planning Department. In his long planning career, McGuinness has done economic planning and developed a computerized regional information system for Schenectady, New York.

The Nature Conservancy
www.nature.org

The mission of The Nature Conservancy is to preserve the plants, animals and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive.The Nature Conservancy pursues non-confrontational, pragmatic, market-based solutions to conservation challenges. This makes it essential for us to work collaboratively with partners, communities, businesses, government agencies, multilateral institutions, individuals and other non-profit organizations.

The Northwest Conservation District
www.conservect.org/northwest

The Northwest Conservation District is a unique, local non-profit serving the towns and people of Northwest Connecticut since 1953. They are dedicated to the conservation and wise use of local natural resources by providing technical services and education. They provide answers, technical know-how and on-site assistance to local land use staff, commission members and residents.

The Trust for Public Land
www.tpl.org

The Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national, nonprofit, land conservation organization that conserves land for people to enjoy as parks, community gardens, historic sites, rural lands, and other natural places, ensuring livable communities for generations to come. TPL helps agencies and communities define conservation priorities, identify lands to be protected, and plan networks of conserved land that meet public need.

Women's Institute for Housing & Economic Development, Inc.
www.wihed.org

The Women's Institute for Houisng and Economic Development Integrates supportive services and economic development with affordable housing. Partnering with community-based and other organizations, they study community development initiatives and evaluate projects in order to learn, apply and disseminate information about best practices.

The Housatonic Valley Association
www.hvatoday.org

The Housatonic Valley Association, founded in 1941, works to conserve the natural character and environmental health of our communities by protecting and restoring the lands and waters of the Housatonic Watershed for this and future generations. It shares it's expertise with organizations and people that are looking for help.

American Farmland Trust
http://www.farmland.org
The mission of American Farmland Trust is to stop the loss of productive farmland and to promote farming practices that lead to a healthy environment. Working with farmers and ranchers, political leaders and community activists, AFT has helped to permanently protect more than a million acres of America's best farm and ranch land.