Developers look at land and see a building. Preserving land from being developed means that it will be there for future generations when it may be even more critical. Recently the Norwalk Land Trust joined with a community group to save 8 acres of land over a large untapped aquifer. While no one knows when we will need that water, we do know it is better to have saved its purity by keeping the surrounding land undeveloped.

Leaving land in its natural state is an unnatural concept to many people. We commonly consider land as real estate; and development as the "highest and best use" of open spaces. On the contrary, unoccupied open space land is essential to a city's economic and environmental health. Congested living spaces are only tolerable when we can walk to a nearby park or playground for exercise and fresh air, or take a hike in an area left in its natural state. Open spaces close to a congested area allow us to get away and de-stress. It not only improves the quality of air but also the quality of living.