Vermont Land Trust Press Release - Life-long Forester Protects an Additional 1,470 Acres in Stockbridge

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 20, 2006
For more information, please contact:

*	Elise Annes, Vermont Land Trust Vice President of Community Relations at 802/223-5234
*	Mark McEathron, Central Vermont Regional Director at 802/223-5234

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Life-long Forester Protects an Additional 1,470 Acres in Stockbridge
Landowner Has Now Conserved Nearly 2,500 Acres

Stockbridge, VT – 91-year-old Dick Rose is a giant around these parts. Single-handedly he has protected nearly 2,500 acres of productive forestland in Stockbridge, Killington, and Bridgewater, a region that has experienced increased development pressures over the last decade. Dick Rose conserved his third parcel with the Vermont Land Trust (VLT) when he sold, at a bargain, the development rights on 1,470 acres of woods in Stockbridge, the Vermont Land Trust announced today. Private contributions by area landowners and a grant from the Freeman Foundation made this transfer possible.

This September marked Dick’s 60th year as President of the Sable Mountain Corporation, a forestry consulting and land surveying business. At one time his practice covered 20,000 acres, including Pico Peak. He came to Vermont in the 1930s to attend Middlebury College. While there, he set out to fulfill a life long dream of purchasing abandoned farmland and planting trees.

He bought his first parcel in Stockbridge for $500. “A local mill owner visited my forest shortly after I bought it and asked, ‘Where are the crows going to roost?’” said Dick referring to the poor health of the forest, “But now we’ve built up these woodlots to the point that they can be self-supporting.”

When asked why he decided to conserve his land, Dick responded, “I’ve seen some unfortunate things happen on some of my favorite woodlots. I think the only way we’re going to stop development here is through arrangements like this one with the Land Trust.”

Not only does Dick’s land produce a sustainable supply of timber, it also supports important wildlife habitat and lies within 55,000 acres of forestland in the Chateauguay No-Town (CNT) region (named for a portion of Stockbridge that once belonged to no town and lies at the center of this block).

“The Chateauguay is a unique area,” commented Jerry Fredrickson, chair of the CNT committee. “We want to partner with the many private landowners whose land make up this spectacular block of forest. It’s our goal to see today’s uses, like logging and outdoor recreation, along with habitat protection, continue into the future. Conservation easements on private lands are the best way to make this happen so that it will really last.”

Dick Rose’s efforts are part of a larger initiative among landowners, local partners, and the Vermont Land Trust to protect the entire CNT area. Since the inception of the project in 1999, landowners have worked with VLT to conserve 13 parcels totaling 6,170 acres.

“Landowners increasingly see the benefits of protecting what is special to them, their land, and their relationship with their land. Conservation, and working with VLT, is the vehicle that landowners use to accomplish this goal. Working with landowners in the Chateauguay has been a great experience. It is obvious that there are many individuals in this community with a strong stewardship ethic. Just like Dick Rose, they are charting the future course for their land and the regional landscape,” stated Mark McEathron, Central Vermont Regional Director for VLT.

The Vermont Land Trust helped Dick Rose conserve his land through the use of a conservation easement. An easement helps landowners voluntarily limit development on productive farmland and forestland, and other meaningful natural and community places. Landowners continue to own, manage, and pay taxes on the land and can sell their land; however, the conservation easement permanently remains on the property.

The Vermont Land Trust is a nonprofit organization that works with individuals, organizations, and communities to conserve land for the future of Vermont. Over the past 29 years, VLT has helped conserve more than 1,300 parcels of land covering over 455,000 acres, or about 8% of the private, undeveloped land in the state. The conserved land includes more than 600 working farms, hundreds of thousands of acres of productive forestland, and numerous parcels of community lands. This conservation work changes the lives of families, invigorates farms, launches new businesses, maintains scenic vistas, encourages recreational opportunity, and fosters a renewed sense of community. For more information, call (802) 223-5234 or visit VLT on the web at www.vlt.org.