Once the open space is identified and purchased, it can be protected for the future as a greenway or other conservation zone. As specialized subset zoning, ridgeline protection is concerned with a particular, focused geographical type for conservation. Conn. Gen. Stat. Once a town has identified a traprock ridge on its map, it can take significant steps to protect the ridgeline setback area. Sections 2 and 3 set out a precise definition of what area is to be considered a traprock ridgeline and what setback areas exist surrounding a given ridgeline.
Towns are free to adopt and utilize the definition of traprock ridgeline in their own regulations.
Once identified, the process of protection is much harder to reverse. Identification of a parcel as a ridgeline forces the planning and zoning system to recognize sensitive and important environmental features of the landscape. Greenways are a system for the promotion of conservation and cooperation between neighboring municipalities. In 1995, the Connecticut legislature enacted the Greenway Capital Grant Program and established a system of assistance to municipalities for funding and information to develop greenways in towns, whether or not they are transportation related. The provisions provide for a grant program administered by the department of environmental protection to give matching funds, including those types of greenways supported by the federal Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991.