The Commission's activities are focused on educating citizens on environmental and conservation issues, and supporting local efforts in these areas.  Activities include:

• An annual newsletter offering information for residents to learn more and to take action on issues that concern them.
• Ongoing monitoring of town, regional, and state activities concerning farmland preservation, watershed protection, brown fields, wetland and wildlife preservation, water conservation and quality, toxic substances, and hazardous waste disposal.
• Development of a natural resources inventory including categories such as: protected land, wildlife, wetlands, soil composition, and open space

Swendsen Farm  

Swendsen Farm PowerPoint Presentation

The Town of Bethlehem purchased the Swendsen Farm to preserve its 123-acres as open space.  A group of students from Yale worked on a project to take a physical inventory of the property and created a management plan for it.  The plan included recommendations for agricultural, recreational, environmental, and educational uses of the property as well as lists of the plants and animals observed there. One of the most exciting finds was the sighting of a peregrine falcon, a bird that is endangered in Connecticut. The Board of Selectmen signed a resolution giving the Bethlehem Conservation Commission (BCC) authority to be the steward of the Swendsen Farm property.

Pictures of the Swendsen Farm