Over a mile of land along the White River in Bethel has been protected for water quality, the Vermont Land Trust announced today. Supported by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, this is the latest project in a statewide effort to protect Vermont’s high priority rivers and to improve water quality.
“Vermont’s farming community has stepped up to serve their communities this year,” said Nick Richardson, President and CEO of the Vermont Land Trust. “The award committee wants to honor and recognize these special efforts.”
Dan and Shelley Howrigan, organic dairy farmers, conserved 141 acres of farmland near Fairfield village. They’re using the fields for hay and pasture, and rejuvenating a sugarbush in the woods.
A gorgeous stretch of open fields with long-range views in Barre has been conserved for farming into the future, honoring the area’s farming heritage. Beloved in the community, Gordon Booth had long wanted to see it protected; his children fulfilled this vision.
We have launched the VLT Farm Relief & Recovery Grants Program to support farmers operating on conserved land. The grants are for farmers in crisis as well as those adapting their business operations because of the pandemic.