Towns build reserves for fire trucks and plows and invest annually in
libraries and recreation programs to ensure the health and well-being of
their residents. Similarly, municipal conservation funds enable towns
to act on unique opportunities to acquire or conserve land that provides
significant community benefits.
42 TOWNS
More than 42 towns in Vermont have conservation funds. Some funds are
well-endowed, while others are modest. Many have a name that describes
where the funds can go, such as Waitsfield's "Restroom, Recreation and
Conservation Reserve Fund." Each fund provides its town with the
capacity to preserve high-quality agricultural land, expand trail
systems, establish town forests or parks, and protect the health of our
rivers and wildlife habitat.
Since 2001, the Mad River Watershed Conservation Partnership (MRWCP) has
united three longtime partners, the Mad River Valley Planning District,
the Friends of the Mad River and the Vermont Land Trust, to conserve
land important to The Valley's future. Our collaboration with Valley
select boards, conservation commissions and planning commissions ensures
that our conservation initiatives help to fulfill each town's
independent vision for its future.
Of the approximately 9,500 acres of farm and forestland that has been
conserved in The Valley, 65 percent has been protected at little or no
cost to the public. More than 30 landowners have donated conservation
easements on 6,500 acres to the Vermont Land Trust. Several families
have gifted their land to their town to provide town forests and parks
for public enjoyment and wildlife habitat.
As a result of these generous acts by our neighbors in the Mad River
Valley, we can all enjoy special places like Wu Ledges, Scrag Municipal
Forest and the Moretown School land. Other scenic and productive land
conserved through easement donations, such as the Knoll Farm, the Joslin
Farm or the Flemer's farmland, to name a just a few, are landmarks
which many of us appreciate every day.
Many people express concerns about the tax impacts of land conservation.
Experience has shown these fears to be unfounded. As the Warren
Conservation Commission recently articulated in <MI>The Valley
Reporter<D>, enrollment of these private conserved lands in the
Current Use Program has maintained the towns' steady tax income. The
removal of public lands from the Grand List has been shown to have a
very modest impact overall.
Experience has demonstrated that, in fact, the development of land, the
alternative to conservation, can require additional municipal services
which can increase town budgets and local taxes. These costs of
development have not been fully measured. To learn more about the
impacts of land conservation on Vermont property taxes, visit
www.vlt.org/taxes.html.
SOUND UNDERSTANDING
While we must make decisions about our future with a sound understanding
of the financial impact, we need to also consider the kind of community
we desire for ourselves and our children. Occasionally an exceptional
opportunity arises to protect a key parcel of land which we believe will
be important to the future vitality of The Valley. At these times,
conservation funds are critical because they allow the town to act
quickly.
The availability of some local funding can determine if we can secure a
key link in our prized Mad River Path trail system or save a farm that
provides locally grown food and maintains our community's rural
character. Often these opportunities do not come twice. Town
conservation funds also provide leverage essential for obtaining other
grant funds and they demonstrate a community's support for land
conservation.
The Vermont Housing and Conservation Board (VHCB), Vermont's primary
source of conservation funds and a national model for land conservation,
has awarded over $530,000 to farmland conservation in The Valley in the
past two years alone.
MATCH MET
With the investment of local municipal conservation funds from Warren
and Waitsfield, supplemented by private donations from the community,
the 30 percent match required by VHCB was met and the conservation of
the Kingsbury farm and its sale to the Vermont Foodbank was possible.
Later this summer the Vermont Land Trust will help to complete the
conservation of the Hartshorn farm, enabling it to continue as a
valuable source of organic fruits and vegetables.
These investments, made with the careful consideration by Warren and
Waitsfield's public boards, will strengthen our agricultural economy,
infuse our Valley with more locally grown food, and boost The Valley's
growing reputation for creative, agricultural enterprises.
The Mad River Watershed Conservation Partnership applauds The Valley
select boards, planning commissioners and conservation commissioners who
continue to demonstrate conservation leadership and celebrates the
support of a community committed to protecting the land that sustains
us.
Liza Walker, Vermont Land Trust; Caitrin Noel, Friends of the Mad River;
Kinny Perot, Friends of the Mad River; Joshua Schwartz, Mad River
Valley Planning District; Jared Cadwell, Mad River Valley Planning
District.
