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6. The Select Committee on Sustainability, the Conservation Commission, theWestport/Weston Health District, and the Town Engineer should monitor availability ofwater throughout Weston in a comprehensive, systematic and sustained manner to ensurewater use in Weston does not outstrip the supply.7. Town Government, together with the Conservation Commission, should act to protectand enhance significant fish and wildlife habitats, feeding areas, travel corridors and theecology of rivers and streams.C. Open Space“Open Space” is generally defined as natural and human influenced landscapes that remainrelatively undisturbed. Open space may consist of several land categories, ranging from pristinepreserves of high ecological significance to active recreational trails and playgrounds. Landreserved in Weston for watershed and conservation purposes alone totals 2,866 acres (more than20 percent of Weston).The importance of open space to a town like Weston cannot be overstated. It is integral to ourcharacter and limits density in a manner that may be critical to the sustainability of our aquifers.Weston’s open space provides many benefits to our community, direct and indirect, short- andlong‐term. Varied recreation areas, including ball fields, scenic trails, and working landscapescontribute to Weston’s character and quality of life. Weston’s open spaces range from largepreserves like Devil’s Den and Trout Brook (which protect underground water resources andallow natural habitats to remain intact and ecologically healthy) to small playgrounds and parkslike Keene Park on River Road. These provide a place for recreation, exercise, personalrevitalization and socialization. Recognizing the importance of open space to Weston as acommunity, at the public hearings and in the Questionnaire, Weston residents voiced theircommitment to acquiring more open space and maintaining that which is already ours. 6“Cluster development” is defined by Connecticut law as “a building pattern concentrating unitson a particular portion of a parcel so that at least one-third of the parcel remains as open space tobe used exclusively for recreational, conservation and agricultural purposes.” 7 Clusterdevelopment is one method of preserving open space while allowing development.In light of the foregoing, the Committee makes the following recommendations:1. Town Government should actively seek opportunities to purchase or solicit the donationof additional open space.2. Town Government should encourage private conservation of open space. For instance,the Planning and Zoning Commission may wish to explore permitting cluster6 When asked in the Questionnaire about using tax dollars to purchase land for conservation, 440 respondents (60percent) favored, 239 (32 percent) opposed, and 46 (6 percent) had no opinion. See Appendix 1.7 C.G.S. §8-1810