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Vermont Land Trust Annual Report 2007-2008
Acting Together for Conservation
Connecting with Others, Building Trust, Conserving and Stewarding the
Land
As Vermonters we choose to live in a place where social capital is
perhaps the most important type of capital. The concept of social
capital acknowledges the value of connections within and between social
networks that increase the strength of our communities. From VLT’s
perspective, conservation both harnesses and generates social capital.
Over the past year there was tremendous public support for conservation.
The land we conserved—by working with our partners—has in turn created
new community bonds and strengthened existing ones.
In this year’s annual report, you will read about people coming together
to protect land of great importance to the community. In Marshfield,
neighbors pooled their talents to secure more than 100 donations when a
beloved piece of land went on the market. In Monkton, a group’s mission
to make forestland ownership possible across the economic spectrum has
resulted in a diverse group of shareholders managing their forest
through consensus. And in Hardwick, neighbors joined to conserve
farmland that supports the businesses of farmers that are part of the
town’s agricultural revival.
These examples, and the others you will read about, show what can happen
when people have strong connections with, and trust in, each other. They
also show how a shared affinity for land can help foster such
connections. Every community in Vermont has land that can bring people
together. If we care for the land and our neighbors, our relationships
will grow along with our vegetables, trees and our land-based economy.
With good stores of social capital, Vermont will prosper even during
difficult times.
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