The following conservation projects for the Champlain Valley region are reported in VLT's Fall 2009 Newsletter:
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
4. Conservation Helps Couple Buy Farm Chris and Annie Wagner are ambitious young farmers who recently bought and conserved a Franklin dairy farm. Conserving the farm made the purchase more affordable for the couple. For many years, Chris worked as farm manager for the previous owner and Annie is a large-animal vet. With over 400 head, there’s plenty of work to go around. The farm is close to Lake Carmi State Park. The eastern boundary abuts Little Bog Pond, a rare wetland that has uncommon natural communities and plants; this area has extra conservation protection that limits logging and agricultural activity. Funded by VHCB. (January) 5. Easement Sale Enables Dairy Expansion Jeep and JoAnn Madison, who conserved their home farm in 2006, needed more land to sustain their 100-head organic dairy herd. When a nearby 97-acre property came up for sale, they jumped at the chance to add it to their farm. Selling a conservation easement at the same time as the purchase made the sale possible. “Thankfully the former owner, Virginia Russell, and her real estate agent, Fred Rowe, had the patience to stick with the process,” said Jeep. “The property has about 70 acres of tillage and we’re short on hayland, so it fits in well with our operation and it is less than a mile from the home farm.” “This was one of my most enjoyable sales,” Fred Rowe commented. “Virginia is very pleased that the land will stay in farming and will not be developed. Jeep is an excellent farmer and the land adds so much to their farm. We were more than happy to work with the Madisons and VLT.” Funded by VHCB. (January) 6. Charlotte Family Conserves Dairy and Protects Forestland Art Burleigh, his son Gary, and daughter Sheila sold a conservation easement to VLT on 73 acres of farmland and then sold 123 acres of forestland to The Nature Conservancy. The Burleighs have been connected to the land since the 1920s, when Art moved there as a child. Art and his late wife, Martha, became the owners of the farm in the 1940s, and today Gary runs the dairy operation. The easement sale will allow for a smooth transition to the next generation. It was the family’s love of their farm and deep connection to the land that inspired them to sell the development rights and the forestland for far less than market value. “We love this place, and we did not want to see the farm and forestland cut up,” said Sheila Burleigh. “We became convinced that VLT and The Nature Conservancy shared our values and would be good neighbors and stewards of the land.” Several additional partners made this project possible including the Lewis Creek Association and Vermont Agency of Natural Resources. Funded by VHCB, the Town of Charlotte, the Charlotte Land Trust, and individual contributions. (February) 7. Conserving Organic Dairy Will Help Transfer Farm to Son Leo and Nancy Henry and their son Brendan operate one of the largest organic dairy farms in Grand Isle County. This March, the Henrys protected their farm by selling a conservation easement. Conserving the farm will help Brendan become the next owner. The Henrys have been selling organic milk from their herd of 110 cows since 2000. The conserved property also includes a sugarbush with about 800 taps. Their farm is a recipient of the “Dairy of Distinction” award and over 50 percent of its soil is rated prime. The farm borders other conserved land, including the Mud Creek Wildlife Management Area. A portion of the farm, which received extra protection in the easement, contains a unique wetland that is one of Grand Isle’s most biologically diverse natural
8. Nolan Beef Farm Conservation Brings Total Highgate Conserved Land to 5,000 Acres When Dennis and Pat Nolan sold a conservation easement on 131 acres of their farm, the total conserved farmland in Highgate surpassed 5,000 acres. Highgate now ranks third, after Fairfield and Swanton, with the most conserved farmland in Franklin County. These blocks of conserved agricultural land create a critical mass of farms that help maintain a strong agricultural economy. Over half of the Nolans’ farm has prime agricultural soils. Dennis and Pat have a small beef operation and they allow students at the vocational agriculture program at Missisquoi Valley High School to use their 32-acre sugarbush as part of the school’s ag-business curriculum. Funded by VHCB. (March) 9. VLT and the Middlebury Area Land Trust Conserve Farmland and Secure Public Trail Access When encroaching development threatened her farm located on the edge of Middlebury village, Marilyn Bingham decided to conserve it with VLT. The sale of the conservation easement will also make it easier to eventually transfer the farm to her son Alpine. VLT, the Middlebury Area Land Trust (MALT), and the Town of Middlebury all collaborated on this project. MALT obtained a public access easement for a trail that could be used as a connector for the Trail Around Middlebury. A small section of rare clayplain forest, located on the northern edge of the farm, is now protected from clear-cutting by special logging restrictions. Funded by VHCB and the Town of Middlebury. (March) | 10. Boissoneault Family Conserves Third Parcel of Farmland The Boissoneault family completed their third conservation project when they protected 332 acres connected to their home farm. This expands the block of conserved land near St. Albans Bay (some of most productive farmland in New England) to over 11,500 acres. The Boissoneaults’ dairy operation has over 900 head and nearly 2,000 acres. The farm abuts Black Creek Wildlife Management Area and has 37 acres of woods that are part of a rare floodplain forest natural community. Funded by VHCB. (March)
11. Couple Conserves Home Farm in Alburgh Newton and Darlene Reynolds, who also own the conserved Collins farm in Alburgh, sold a conservation easement on Cross Winds Dairy, their 200-acre home farm in Alburgh. The property includes 162 acres of agricultural soils classified as prime and statewide. The Reynolds used the proceeds of the sale to acquire the previously conserved 244-acre Howard farm, also in Alburgh, which will help them reach the land base needed for their expanding dairy herd. A four-acre area adjacent to the Mud Creek Wetland Wildlife Management Area received special ecological protection in the easement. This project was led by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets. Funded by VHCB. (April) 12. Misty Knoll Farm Expands with Help from VLT and the Castanea Foundation John and Carmen Palmer and several family members operate Misty Knoll Farm, one of the largest poultry farms in Vermont. Their free-range turkeys and naturally raised chickens are known throughout Vermont and New England. With the help of 20 employees, they sell about 4,000 birds a week to local restaurants and food co-ops. When John and Carmen found out that the adjoining Earle farm might be sold, they became concerned that housing development could threaten their business, so they decided to buy and conserve the Earle farm. The newly conserved land has exceptional agricultural soils that will provide bedding hay and grain for their poultry. The Castanea Foundation assisted the transfer by providing a bridge loan until the easement funding was secured. Conserving the farm also keeps a large portion of the Little Otter Creek wetland intact and provides protection for a rare plant found in these woods. Funded by VHCB. (May) 13. Family Protects Scenic Farmland on Lake Champlain Charlotte. Deeds Family Converse Bay Limited Partnership. Conservation easement donation add-on. 41 acres. During the 1990s, Andy and Birgit Deeds conserved a portion of their farmland on Lake Champlain with plans for protecting the majority of the remaining open land at a later date. This June, the Deeds family made their plans a reality by conserving an additional 41 acres, resulting in a total of 71 protected acres. In addition to productive agricultural land, the conserved property has 2,600 feet of undeveloped Lake Champlain shoreline. The wooded shoreline and sweeping meadows provide spectacular views from the lake and from many points along Converse Bay. The generosity of the Deeds family will be appreciated for decades to come. (June) 14. First Farm in Montgomery Conserved Jim and Suzanne Marshall sold a conservation easement on their well-managed beef and hay farm. The farm, located along Route 118 on the Enosburgh–Montgomery town line, is the first farm to be conserved in Montgomery. Jim and Suzanne’s son Alan, his wife, Pam, and their two children live on the farm. The multi-generational business raises 30-40 head a year. The proceeds from the easement sale will assist the eventual transfer to Alan and Pam. The property has over a half mile of frontage on the Trout River; fishing access for the public was ensured through the easement. Funded by VHCB. (June) 15. Historic Outdoor Recreation Site Conserved The Aldis Hill Playground Trust (AHT) was established in 1892 to benefit the children of St. Albans. For generations, the 849-foot hill has offered forested trails and dramatic views of the City, Lake Champlain, and the Adirondacks. With help from VLT, AHT recently conserved a portion of the Hill and acquired six additional acres of adjoining land from the Zurn family. The project also vastly improved public access to the trail system and secured access to a future parking area. The property adjoins the popular Hard’ack Recreation Area. Much of the land was once owned by two 19th-century governors of Vermont. Funded by VHCB. (June)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Land Conservation | Projects | Support | About VLT | Publications | Search | Contact Us | Home | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
