New milestone in conservation partnership results in 884 conserved acres at beloved destination
In August 2025, we celebrated a new milestone in our ongoing partnership with Shelburne Farms – the iconic and much loved destination on the shores of Lake Champlain. Together we conserved 66 acres of farm and woodland that will be open for walking and education.
Now, 884 acres of conserved land will continue to enhance the farm’s biodiversity, wildlife habitat, water resources, forestland, and fields into the future.
A long partnership in protecting and caring for land and Lake Champlain shoreline
Owned and managed by a nonprofit committed to education and farming, Shelburne Farms is home to a working dairy, learning programs for all ages, and miles of public trails that are enjoyed by thousands year-round.
We have been longstanding partners with them in protecting and caring for land. In 1986 we conserved 416 acres of working farm and forest on the property, including land that now hosts the North Gate Path. In 1996, we protected over 400 acres in the southern part of the property with many of the farm’s working areas. Those conservation projects also protected nearly 4,000 feet of Lake Champlain shoreline.
Credit Jared Vincent, courtesy Shelburne Farms
The latest effort conserves land around the Windmill Hill Trail that offers some of Shelburne Farm’s most beautiful views of Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks. The project also safeguards some of the farm’s most productive soils and will support an extended trail network.
“This is such a spectacular landscape,” VLT’s Bob Heiser. “It is comforting to know that it can now be accessed by the public and fully integrated into Shelburne Farm’s programs to inspire sustainable stewardship here and beyond this property.”
“It’s a National Park-quality landscape,” said Shelburne Farms President Alec Webb. “The land is integrated with our farm activities and trail system, and provides a wonderful area for education programs. It’s a true endowment. This land will pay public, agricultural, and ecosystem dividends forever.”
As part of this effort, we also worked with Shelburne Farms to add special protections on Lake Champlain shoreline and 22 acres of wetland that were previously conserved, for clean water and improved ecological function.
The project was made possible through a $950,000 grant from the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, along with $50,000 from the Town of Shelburne Open Space fund. Gifts from the Lookout Foundation, Freeman Foundation, and several anonymous private donors, including a $1,000,000 gift from a fundholder at the Vermont Community Foundation, provided additional major support.
Header photo: Vera Chang, courtesy Shelburne Farms
