Vermont Land Trust

1. Vermont Land Trust Property Easements and Stewardship Alex Ache PUB395 June 21st, 2003

2. Topics • Goals • Background • What Works • What Doesn’t Work • Discussions • Questions

3. Goals “….to conserve land for the future of Vermont. VLT does this by providing technical and legal assistance to individuals, communities, and local land trusts helping them achieve local conservation objectives.” “  “The Conservation Stewardship office is responsible for the long-term monitoring of easements to ensure that the conservation goals are upheld in perpetuity.”

4. Background • Established 1977 by Richard Carbon • Primarily focus “working the landscape” • Frustrations with planning process • Regulation is at best an “orderly retreat”. • Currently the focus is on working farms • Most successful US state land trust • Protection of 7% of VT • 6,000 “members” • 501-C3 NGO

5. Voluntary Easements Purchased Easements Working Farms Working Wood Esthetic Recreation Background State Fed Private

6. What Works Operating In Vermont Reputation Non Subsidizing Broad scope Appeal to human habitat Legal precedence Publications Scattered approach Tax Breaks Coupling Approach

7. What Doesn’t Work Operating outside of VT Specification Narrow Focus Choosing sides No publicizing Not purchasing lands

8. Discussions • Motives for farmers • “Private Zoning” • “Egoist Approach” • Diverse Public vs. Single Regulatory • Stopping the clock • Hamlets of England

9. Questions?