At the meeting of the New England Governors Conference (NEGC) in Bar Harbor ME on September 16, 2008, the six New England Governors established a blue-ribbon commission, charging it to assess land conservation in the region and recommend needed initiatives to advance regional landscape conservation. The Commission on Land Conservation (CLC) consists of two representatives from each state – one, a senior state policy official, the other a private conservation leader – and has augmented its discussions with help from an advisory panel of interested stakeholders within each state, as well as with public outreach appropriate to each state.

The report that follows identifies key issues facing the New England region in land conservation, based on current research and knowledge. It reviews the challenges we face in preserving and protecting our natural resources, and the opportunities available for joint action by the New England
Governors. It offers a set of guiding principles and overall goals for a regional conservation strategy. Finally, it presents a series of considered recommendations to the Governors for their consideration, to accelerate needed progress toward these goals.