Where we worked

Over 46 years, we have conserved 638,672 acres. This conserved land is shown in dark green on the map.

Between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023, we protected 14,367 acres across Vermont.

The orange dots show where we worked this past year. Read on for town-by-town details.

Southern Vermont

Rutland, Windsor, Bennington & Windham counties

Andover We received a gift of 279 acres of land from the estate of the late Audrey “Claire” Holloway. The mostly forested parcel abuts other conserved land and has several acres of open fields. Claire and her husband Lawrence, who predeceased her, cherished the land and its natural features, and wished for it to remain undeveloped. Thanks to their friend Gerry Williams, who has provided assistance throughout the process, VLT will conserve the land before it is conveyed to a new owner.

Brandon Dan and Elyse Wulfkuhle conserved 57 acres and strengthened an existing conservation easement on Wood’s Market Garden, which was originally conserved in 2000 by Jon Satz. Conservation funding made buying the beloved farm more affordable for Dan and Elyse. New conservation measures will ensure the farm remains available, and more affordable, to future farmers, plus new water quality protections were added.

Dummerston Sam Farwell and Carol Haney conserved 89 acres of woodland along nearly 0.75 miles of the West River. Their parcel joins adjacent conserved land and the 914-acre Deer Run Nature Preserve to the north. With interior forest, streams, swamps, open wetlands, and river shoreline, the land is favorable winter habitat for wildlife. The wood turtle, an uncommon animal in our state, and a rare plant have been documented there.

Pawlet Skip and Laney Clark needed more cropland for their dairy business, which is on conserved land in Pawlet. With the help of conservation funding, they bought a nearby farm and conserved all of its 243 acres, including productive farmland, wetlands, forestland, and streams including Flower Brook, a tributary of the Mettowee River. The parcel was a conservation priority because of its excellent farm soils, proximity to other conserved land, and forest and water resources. The land’s conservation also ensures it will stay available for farming into the future.

Pownal After more than 30 years of growing organic vegetables, Joy and John Primmer (pictured at right) protected 21 aces of Wildstone Farm. They’ve been regular vendors at the Bennington Farmers’ Market since its founding 20 years ago, in which they played a part. They were the first farm to be certified organic in Bennington County, and their farm-fresh veggies and eggs have nourished the community for decades.

Putney & Brookline The Putney Mountain Association protected 140 forested acres along Windmill Ridge, with wetlands, swamps, vernal pools, and streams. The land sits within a block of over 1,000 acres of protected land and connects trails and other public lands, including the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge to the south and the Putney Town Forest to the north. It is known as Hinton Woods, after the Hinton family who owned the property for decades. Rich with wildlife, the parcel will now be open to all for bird watching, cross-country skiing, hiking, hunting, wildlife observation, and for educational activities.

Stockbridge After years restoring the historic Luce Farm on Music Mountain Road in Stockbridge, Leah Goat donated conservation easement on 180 acres of forest, farmland, and wetlands. She also protected the farmstead with historic farm buildings through The Preservation Trust of Vermont. She has been leasing the land to Birdsong Farm, a diversified farm operation that produces vegetables, eggs, and meat – they plan to buy the land. The land includes three acres of wetlands and headwater streams of the White River.

Champlain Valley

Franklin, Addison, Chittenden & Grand Isle counties

Charlotte Clark Hinsdale conserved 59 acres of farmland being rented by Nick Powden for a growing hay business. Nick also rents neighboring conserved land. Conservation means the land will be more affordable for farmers in the future. Over the years, Clark has conserved several other parcels in the area and helped beginning farmers get a start.

Charlotte 400 trees were planted as part of a stream and wetland restoration effort on Philo Ridge Farm. We worked with Audubon Vermont, UVM’s Gund Center, ECO AmeriCorps and Philo Ridge Farm staff on the project.

Colchester After 10 years of leasing Pine Island Community Farm, goat farmers Chuda and Gita Dhaurali worked with VLT to conserve and buy the 220-acre farm, now renamed Dhaurali Goats. In addition to productive farmland, there is a mile of the Winooski River and 120 acres of protected wetlands. VLT will continue to operate Pine Island Community Gardens through a long-term lease agreement with the Dhauralis.

Colchester After removing a dam and restoring a section of Crooked Creek on the conserved Button Farm, we planted over 200 trees, shrubs and other plants to further restore the land and support wildlife. These efforts will slow flood waters and reduce erosion (see video).

Ferrisburgh Linda Hawkins LLC conserved 101 acres of farmland, woods, wetlands near Little Otter Creek. The land has been shaped by its proximity to the creek, and is host to rare plants and animals, including osprey, blue-spotted salamander, and cat tail sedge. A dairy farmer rents the farmland, while the conservation easement sets aside a significant area for clean water and habitat.

Fletcher In 2022, we restored two streams on the conserved Boneyard Farm by installing six wood structures similar to beaver dams. Shrubs and willows were planted in the stream area at the time. This spring, we helped the Franklin County Conservation District plant an additional 3,500 trees. These efforts will expand the wetland, increase plant diversity, slow flood waters, and reduce erosion.

Franklin Matt Laroche’s parents protected the family dairy over 30 years ago when Matt was 24. Over the years, they bought more land to support their growing business. These days Matt runs Laroche Dairy & Son with his son and other family members. This spring, they protected 131 acres in Franklin that they use to grow feed for their 300+ cows. The project included additional conservation protection for land along the Rock River.

Granville, Braintree & Rochester Nearly 7,400 acres with high elevation peaks and headwater streams of the Connecticut River were conserved by Green Ridge Forest LLC. The project was done in partnership effort with The Conservation Fund, which sold the land to Green Ridge at the same time that it was conserved. The land will be managed for timber as well as for its many ecological values, such as providing excellent bear habitat. It is open to the public for hunting and non-motorized recreation.

Granville Tracy Winn, her husband, Joe Rigali, and a group of their friends donated a conservation easement on 116 acres, they have owned together for decades. Tracy and Joe are caring for the woods with the help of a forester. They are increasing tree diversity and fostering old-forest-like conditions; this work will help the land adapt to a changing climate.

Highgate Terry and Julie Rice conserved 498 acres of farmland and sugarbush. Terry grows sweet corn that he sells from a farmstand on site, sugars a 170-acre sugarbush, and rents other land to a dairy farmer. The land has a section of Dead Creek and abuts the Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge. There is also a large wetland where the rare Bog Copper Dragonfly has been seen.

Hinesburg Tim and Kay Ballard protected 177 acres of pasture, cropland, and woods that abut the town’s Geprags Community Park. The Ballard family has owned the land, which has stunning views of the Adirondacks, since 1937. A wetland and tributaries of the LaPlatte River were also protected. Neighboring dairy farmers lease the farmland, which will remain available, and be more affordable, to future generations of farmers.

Hinesburg We planted 800 trees along Lewis Creek on a conserved farm. The multi-day effort brought together volunteers from UVM, Ursa Major Skincare, and Trout Unlimited as well as VLT supporters and staff. Tamarack, highbush cranberry, arrowwood, and white pine were planted, among other species. The trees and shrubs will improve water quality in the creek and enhance the land’s ability to handle floods.

Middlebury Third-generation farmer Doug Butler conserved 100 acres of farmland, woods, wetlands, and streams, including headwater tributaries of the Muddy Branch. Three rare and endangered plants have been found on the protected land. He and his son Casey run a beef farm; they sell to the local food co-op and directly from the farm. This is the second time Doug has conserved land; he conserved 148 acres in 2019.

Middlebury Jerry and Bernardine Butler conserved 128 acres of farmland and woods, including some clayplain forest, plus wetlands and streams. Working with their son Calihan and his wife, Kristen, the Butlers grow hay and corn for their dairy herd of 250 cows.

Middlebury We planted 1,000 trees along Muddy Branch, a tributary of the New Haven River, at the conserved LedgEnd Farm. The multi-day effort brought together farmer Hank Dimuzio, volunteers from the citizen science group River Watch, ECO AmeriCorps members, Middlebury College students, and VLT supporters and staff. They planted shrub willow, silky dogwood, nannyberry, and tamarack. The trees and shrubs will help filter and slow water flowing into Lake Champlain.

Monkton Stephen and Janice Linehan protected 92 acres of woodland and pasture; land along a tributary of Lewis Creek was also protected. The Linehans use the land for hay and maple sugaring. More recently, their son Robert has started cultivating table and wine grapes on the parcel’s sunny slopes. Conservation will help the Linehans with the transfer of the business to the next generation.

Richford Jessica Boone conserved 408 acres of mostly forested land on the western flank of the Green Mountains. She runs a sugaring operation, Hi Vue Maples, that has been in her family for many generations. She also serves on the board of Cold Hollow to Canada, a nonprofit focused on land stewardship, wildlife habitat conservation, and forest health in the Cold Hollow Mountains, where Jessica’s land is located.

Sheldon 5,800 trees and shrubs were planted along the Missisquoi River and nearby streams on Philip and Suzanne Parent’s conserved dairy farm. The native species plated included silver maple, cottonwood, silky dogwood, speckled alder, tamarack, shrub willow, and choke cherry. Keeping land along the water forested will improve wildlife habitat and support clean water.

Shoreham Lissy and Bill Heminway conserved 99 acres of rolling farm and forestland. They operate Wiley Side Farm, producing free-range eggs, grass-fed beef, popcorn, honey, apples and cider, a lot of which they sell at their farmstand. The land has over half a mile of the Lemon Fair River and a couple of rare types of forest. The conservation easement designates an area along the river where activities will be restricted for clean water and wildlife. The Heminways will retire about two acres of fields in order to accomplish this.

Shoreham Lorenzo and Amy Quesnel of Richville Farms conserved 308 acres of farmland, woods, wetlands, and streams, including a stretch of Perry Brook. They run the dairy farm with their daughter, Kylie, and son-in-law, Jeremy Chittenden. This project expands a large block of conserved farmland that extends southeast from Shoreham to Orwell and Whiting.

Weybridge Monument Farms conserved 182 acres they use to grow corn and hay for their dairy. The fourth-generation farm family now owns over 1,000 acres of protected Champlain Valley farmland. Monument is the only large-scale milk processor in Vermont that sells milk exclusively from their own herd. This project protected over a mile of frontage on the Lemon Fair River.

Weybridge Farmers Dan and Corinne Kehoe strengthened conservation protections on 34 acres of their previously conserved farm. The acreage has wetlands and 2.5 miles of land along Otter Creek and its tributaries. They are taking several acres of farmland out of active use to protect and restore the land for clean water, improved habitat, and flood resilience.

Weybridge Roger Wales protected 266 acres of farmland, wetlands, and woods on land his family has farmed for about 80 years. Over the years, Roger has produced wheat, oats, corn, and beef, and most recently, goat milk, which he sold to Vermont Butter & Cheese. The Wales farm sits along the Otter Creek, just upstream from the confluence with the Lemon Fair River.

Central Vermont

Washington, Orange & Lamoille Counties

Berlin Gus Griffin and his partner Mollie Podmore were able to start their first farm on land that Gus and his parents, Rodman Griffin and Katherine McCabe, conserved with VLT. Conservation funding helped offset the cost of the land for the farmers. Gus and Mollie run Glinnis Hill Farm, an organic vegetable operation, and sell through a CSA and the Capital City Farmers Market in Montpelier. They strive to make local food available to more people through a subsidized CSA program. The project includes protection for wetlands and streams, including a tributary of the Dog River.

Cambridge A crew from the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps worked with VLT staff at VLT’s Brewster Uplands to plant about 150 trees above a steep bank of the Brewster River where woody plants were needed to minimize erosion and support clean water. The crew also undertook stream and wetland restoration to minimize erosion and sediment loss, and replaced culverts on the property’s recreational trails (see video).

Cambridge & Underhill Farmers Joe and Anne Marie Tisbert strengthened conservation protections on 64 acres of their conserved farm for clean water, wildlife habitat, and to reduce negative impacts from future floods. The protected area includes five miles of frontage along the Seymour River and other streams, as well as nearly 40 acres of wetlands. They retired over 11 acres of farmland for clean water. The Tisberts first conserved their 306-acre Valley Dream Farm in 1992; it has evolved from dairy to organic vegetables and flowers. (Photo: Becky Tisbert of Valley Dream Farm.)

Chelsea & Washington Ross Putney and his uncle Mike Taylor conserved their 465-acre farm. Ross’s young children are the sixth generation on the farm. Together with his wife, Kim, he operated an organic dairy until a couple of years ago. Now they have a 4,000-tap sugarbush, produce wrapped baylage (partially dried forage for livestock), and raise beef cows and dairy replacements. “This is a sixth-generation family farm, and we want to keep it in the family without selling off pieces,” says Ross. The land includes over 260 acres of forestland and headwater streams of the First Branch of the White River.

Marshfield Dorigen Keeney and Elinor Randall donated additional conservation protections on a farm they had originally conserved with VLT in 2007, so that it will remain available for farming and more affordable to future farmers. The 85-acre property just beyond Plainfield village has sweeping mountain views. The enhanced protection will help Kagan Dewey and Elise Magnant, who run a vegetable operation called Blackbird Organics, to buy the farm.

Plainfield Fourth-generation farmers Cody, Brad, and Shane Brickey conserved 155 acres of farmland and woodland. The three brothers run an organic dairy and supply milk to Organic Valley. They manage a herd of about 65 milking cows and use over 80 acres of pasture to grow feed. The property includes a stretch of Great Brook, which flows into the Winooski River. Land along the brook and several acres of wetlands have additional protections for clean water.

Randolph Katie Steere and Ben Aalvik bought conserved land from dairy farmers Brent and Regina Beidler, and strengthened conservation protections to make sure the land will remain available and more affordable to future farmers and to further protect a stretch of Penny Brook, a tributary to the Second Branch of the White River. The farm was originally conserved in 1994 and has hosted several farm operations in that time, a testament to the effectiveness of farm conservation to protect our working lands.

Stowe 2,950 trees and shrubs were planted on 10 acres of retired farmland along Moss Glen Brook on Ken Ricketson’s conserved family farm. The plantings included silver maple, balsam poplar, paper birch, silky dogwood, white pine, speckled alder, tamarack, shrub willow, and choke cherry. As they grow, these trees and shrubs will reduce sediment and nutrients entering the water. Woody vegetation provides habitat and food for fish and animals and slows down water in flood situations.

Northeast Kingdom

Orleans, Essex & Caledonia counties

Greensboro Ray Shatney and Janet Steward operate Shat Acres Highland Cattle, selling 100% grass-fed beef under the Greenfield Highland Beef label. The couple conserved 154 acres of forestland with headwater streams of the Lamoille River on Route 16 and Young Road in Greensboro Bend. A sensitive riverside area will be retired from farming and planted with native trees and shrubs. Ray and Janet also ensured that a 29-acre neighboring parcel will remain available for farming in the future.

Holland Ron and Jennifer Patenaude conserved 119 acres of farmland and woodland. The newly conserved land provides pasture and hay for the family’s organic dairy based next door. This is the fourth property that the Patenaudes have conserved in Holland. The project includes an extensive riverside and wetland restoration effort along Stearns Brook and a small tributary. The restoration work will be done in partnership with the Vermont Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program and USFW’s Partners for Fish & Wildlife program.

Morgan, Charleston & Derby Keith and Trevor Gray conserved 450 acres. The father and son run Gray Farms, a 4,500-head dairy, based in Holland and Derby, that employs nearly 40 people. The conserved land includes nearly 280 acres of managed forest, and headwater streams of the Clyde River and Cloche Brook. Land along the streams and many acres of wetlands have additional protections for clean water. Keith conserved the family’s 329-acre main farm in 2016, and he and his wife Ruth conserved another 395-acre farm in 2013.

Newark Hawk Rock Holdings LLC donated a conservation easement on 1,961 acres of forestland that includes Walker Mountain, Packer Mountain, and Hawk Rock (pictured at right). The land has hardwood forest, several streams, and over a mile of frontage along the East Branch Passumpsic River and its tributaries, as well as cedar swamps, wetlands and vernal pools. There are also dramatic granite cliffs and ledges that have abundant wildlife habitat. The land supports a 40,000+ tap maple sugarbush for Three Peaks Maple.

Newport Town Chaput Family Farms conserved 80 acres off Route 105. The dairy farm is a partnership between brothers Reg and Mike Chaput, and has close to 2,500 cows. The family, which has protected other farm properties in the area, now owns over 4,000 acres of conserved land. The newly conserved parcel includes streambank and wetland protections along North Brook, a tributary of the Missisquoi River.

Westfield Organic dairy farmers Robert and Joanne Bathalon protected 38 acres along the Missisquoi River, including over a mile of river frontage, for clean water. Joanne and Robert conserved 157 acres of the farm with us in 2008. As part of this new project, they took pasture out of active use to restore the land in a way that will support clean water, improved habitat, and flood resilience.