Support Land Conservation

photo by: Collin Ackerman

Imagine your favorite forest with a stream of cool mountain water flowing and birds chirping, or a farm with cows grazing in high grass and wildflowers that swim in the Vermont breeze.  If you could ensure these lands remain for future generations to farm, enjoy for recreation, and protect the integrity of Vermont’s wildlife habitat, would you?  Many landowners, saddled with high property taxes or relying on the sale of land for retirement, face tremendous pressures to sell parcels of land for development.  To ensure they receive a fair price for their land while preventing the land from being developed, many community land trusts work with landowners to purchase their development rights.  A land trust may also work with the town to purchase the land outright.

 

What You Can Do

  • Contact your community land trust to learn about their efforts to protect key parcels of land in your town.  If you know of a parcel you believe deserves protection, bring it to their attention.
  • Introduce yourself to landowners who have protected their land, when possible, and thank them for putting their land into conservation.  Knowing people appreciate their efforts makes owners feel good about their investment and makes it more likely that they will preserve more land in the future.
  • Get out of the car and onto your feet or bicycle!  Exploring the landscape around your home may lead to hidden treasures.

Vermonters Taking Action

"Peggy and I worked with the Lake Champlain Land Trust to conserve our family's property in Milton and to open up the trails and lookout to the public." John Hoyt

Lake Champlain Land Trust

In the interest of ensuring that their unique land was permanently protected from development, John and Peggy Hoyt chose to conserve Eagle Mountain in Milton by donating the land to the Lake Champlain Land Trust.  John Hoyt’s father purchased the land when John was six weeks old and he wanted to make sure others could enjoy the beauty of this mountain.  The Lake Champlain Land Trust purchased the neighboring parcel and donated the entire 225 acre parcel to the Town of Milton, retaining a permanent conservation agreement on the land. 

The Lake Champlain Land Trust is a member-supported, non-profit organization that has conserved the islands, lakeshore, and natural areas along Lake Champlain since 1978.  The Lake Champlain Land Trust has saved over 4,000 acres, 16 islands, and 16 miles of Lake Champlain shoreline.  If you are interested in helping us to protect the lake, or donate a parcel of land, please contact Chris Boget at (802) 862-4150 or chris@lclt.org.

Elmer Farm

"Like many young farm families, we have watched land values in the state increase, making it very difficult for us to find affordable farmland. We were ecstatic to be able to buy this farm at an affordable price." -Jennifer Blackwell, East Middlebury. Photograph by Caleb Kenna, courtesy of the Vermont Land Trust.

Spencer and Jennifer Blackwell relocated their bean and grain operation from Burlington's Intervale to the Elmer Farm in Middlebury when the Vermont Land Trust conserved the farm, making it affordable for this experienced farming couple.
The Vermont Land Trust is a statewide, member-supported, nonprofit that matches qualified buyers with conserved farms and forests. Since 1977, they have permanently conserved more than 1,400 parcels of land covering 470,000 acres, about eight % of the private, undeveloped land in the state.

Resources You Can Use

  • Smart Growth Vermont: Our online Community Planning Toolbox features a number of tools and resources for land conservation.
  • Vermont Land Trust: Working with community members, landowners, and policy makers, VLT  preserves Vermont’s traditional landscape for future generations. Get involved in one of their ongoing projects or get information on how to conduct your own!
  • Vermont Housing and Conservation Board: This state agency has made loans and grants for conservation easements (a legal agreement that travels with the land through multiple owners) to over 400 Vermont farms, comprising more than 250,000 acres.
  • Vermont Agency of Agriculture: The Agency has a step-by-step guide for farmers that starts with land assessment and goes straight through to marketing.
  • Lake Champlain Land Trust: LCLT is dedicated to permanently conserving the lakeshore and surrounding natural areas of Lake Champlain.