Groton Open Space Association

David Leff To Retire From Dept. of Environmental Protection

MIDDLETOWN — David Leff, deputy commissioner at the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection for the past 11 years, announced Tuesday that he is taking disability retirement from the DEP at the end of March, according to a March 16, 2006, e-mail from David Sutherland, co-chair of the Land Conservation Coalition for Connecticut.

Mr. Sutherland’s e-mail said:

“David has been an extraordinary partner for the LCCC as Deputy Commissioner in charge of Recreation and Natural Resources, and before that as attorney for the legislature’s Environment Committee for 16 years. David is a forceful advocate for open space preservation, and has been a key factor in gaining the support of two administrations for land preservation. He has spearheaded too many land acquisition and stewardship initiatives to describe here – suffice to say he has had an enormous positive impact on Connecticut’s natural landscapes.

“David has a degenerative condition in his back which has been worsening in recent years. He hopes to volunteer in the environmental field – “I started as a volunteer in this business, and intend to continue as one”. As a published author, working on his second book, and a contributing editor to the Sunday Place section of the Hartford Courant, David has been helping all of us look at our natural and developed world from different perspectives.”