For immediate release: May 16, 2011

Craftsbury -- Mimi Grosser has been coming to the shores of Little Hosmer Pond since the 1950s, when she and her late husband, George, first purchased property on the pond. Mimi's deep connection to her land and to the pond inspired her to donate a permanent conservation easement on nine acres to the Vermont Land Trust.

The conservation easement ensures that 1,700 feet of undeveloped frontage, located near the Little Hosmer boat access, will remain forever wooded and free of development. Mimi was one of the first landowners to contact Vermont Land Trust about conservation after a group of local residents—in collaboration with the land trust—launched the Hosmer Ponds Watershed Initiative in 2007. The initiative's members run educational and social outings and workshops, in addition to promoting conservation.

"My family and I have loved this beautiful little lake for many years," says Mimi. "Part of what we cherish is the shoreline, where the woods, the fields, and the water create the sense of peace and calm that one always feels on Little Hosmer. Anything we can do to preserve this is worth doing."

Mimi protected her land with a conservation easement—a legal tool that limits development on land. Landowners who conserve their land with an easement continue to own, manage, and pay taxes on the land and can sell their land; however, the conservation easement, and its special protections, permanently remains on the property. The Vermont Land Trust worked with Mimi to create a conservation easement tailored to a waterfront parcel and its unique qualities.

"Taking time to ensure that the conservation easement protected the key aspects of her property, as well as being in line with her and her family's goals for the land, was critical to Mimi and something that is very common to our work with landowners, says Tracy Zschau, Northeast Kingdom Director for the Vermont Land Trust. "Conserving your land is a big decision and getting good legal and tax advice as well as family agreement and buy-in is critical and worth taking time for."

Donating a conservation easement in 2011 ensures that Mimi will be able to take advantage of a special tax incentive, which expands the federal income tax deduction associated with such a gift. The Hosmer Ponds Fund at Vermont Land Trust is dedicated to facilitating conservation around Little and Big Hosmer Ponds and covered all the costs associated with the conservation of Mimi's property.

Mimi is the second landowner in the area to conserve her land as part of this local effort: Elinor and George Osborn donated a conservation easement on their land on the Black River, near Big Hosmer Pond, to the Vermont Land Trust in the summer of 2009. The Osborn property includes a Northern White Cedar Swamp on the Black River and a section of the Craftsbury Outdoor Center ski trail.

Mimi's commitment to protecting her land and the pond will positively impact water quality, wildlife habitat, and the scenic beauty of Little Hosmer.