State and local officials met at the Mill Brook open space in Windsor on Wednesday, to announce a $14.5 million state grant to protect over 2,000 acres of open space in Connecticut.

Officials said another $343,015 in state grants will also help create two new urban community green spaces.

"We got to do everything we can to fight and preserve open space," Lamont said. "We are making the biggest investment preserving open space in the history of this state.”

The grants are being released through the Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Grant Program and the Urban Green Community Gardens Grant Program. Those programs are operated by the state's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP).

These grants will service 18 towns throughout the state.