STOWE LAND TRUST

STEWARDSHIP PROGRAMIN FY24, STOWE LAND TRUST (SLT) RECEIVED A $26,000 PRIVATE DONATION THAT ALLOWED US TO UPGRADE THE LOWER TRAILS AT KIRCHNER WOODS TO MAKE THEM ACCESSIBLE TO ADAPTIVE CYCLISTS AND A WIDER VARIETY OF WALKERS. THE SPECIAL DONATION ALSO ENABLED US TO HIRE A FORESTRY CONTRACTOR TO HELP US UPDATE OUR LAND MANAGEMENT PLANS WITH CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION AND FOREST RESILIENCE MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES FOR ALL SIX OF OUR OWNED PROPERTIES.TO MEET INCREASING STEWARDSHIP DEMANDS, SLT CREATED A NEW 11-MONTH VHCB AMERICORPS LANDS AND TRAILS STEWARD POSITION IN FY24 THAT HAS BECOME INTEGRAL TO HELPING OUR SMALL STAFF CONDUCT EASEMENT MONITORING AND TRAIL AND LAND MAINTENANCE, TRAIN VOLUNTEER LAND STEWARDS, AND WORK WITH VOLUNTEER GROUPS ON OUR CONSERVED PROPERTIES. IN FY24, SLT ALSO CONTRACTED WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT TO HOST A FIELD NATURALIST M.S. GRADUATE STUDENT WHO CARRIED OUT A COMMUNITY RECREATION SURVEY AND HELPED FACILITATE AN UPDATE TO THE RECREATION MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE SLT CONSERVED ADAMS CAMP.SLT'S VOLUNTEER LAND STEWARDS SPENT A TOTAL OF 167 REPORTED HOURS DURING FY24 MONITORING SLT CONSERVED PROPERTIES AND CONDUCTING TRAIL MAINTENANCE FOR US. SLT STEWARDSHIP STAFF HOSTED A STEWARDSHIP SUMMER SERIES OF WORKSHOPS FOCUSED ON SUPPORTING SLT'S VOLUNTEER LAND STEWARDS AND CONSERVED LANDOWNERS IN CARING FOR SLT CONSERVED LANDS. THE OFFERED WORKSHOPS INCLUDED "TRAIL MAINTENANCE 101", "FINDING & NAVIGATING PROPERTY BOUNDARIES", AND "TREE IDENTIFICATION". ADDITIONALLY, SLT THREW OUR ANNUAL VOLUNTEER CELEBRATION, TRAINED VOLUNTEER LAND STEWARDS, HOSTED A FIELD PROGRAM FOR A UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT FORESTRY CLASS TO INTRODUCE THEM TO CONSERVATION EASEMENTS, AND WORKED WITH A UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT WILDLIFE CLASS TO UNDERTAKE A ONE-MONTH WILDLIFE CONNECTIVITY STUDY ON A PARCEL THAT SLT IS IN THE PROCESS OF CONSERVING. FINALLY, IN FY24, SLT HELPED SET UP AND SUPPORTED A THREE-DAY INTENSIVE "WOODLANDS FOR WILDLIFE" COOPERATOR TRAINING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH VERMONT COVERTS AND THE SHUTESVILLE HILL WILDLIFE CORRIDOR PARTNERSHIP WHICH TRAINED 20 PRIVATE VERMONT LANDOWNERS IN FOREST STEWARDSHIP. IN FY24, OUR STEWARDSHIP PROGRAMMING REACHED A TOTAL OF 183 PEOPLE.OTHER STEWARDSHIP TASKS UNDERTAKEN BY SLT DURING FY24 AND SUPPORTED USING GENERAL OPERATING FUNDS INCLUDED HOSTING VOLUNTEERS FROM LOCAL BUSINESSES AND SCHOOL GROUPS WHO PLAYED A CRUCIAL ROLE IN INVASIVE SPECIES MANAGEMENT (70 GROUP HOURS), THE UPKEEP OF TRAIL INFRASTRUCTURE AND REPLACEMENT OF PUNCHEON ALONG THE TRAILS (61 GROUP HOURS), AND CHAINSAW WORK (10 INDIVIDUAL HOURS) TO ENSURE A SAFE AND SUSTAINABLE TRAIL EXPERIENCE FOR VISITORS. AS USUAL, IN FY24, SLT INVENTORIED OUR STEWARDSHIP SUPPLIES AND PURCHASED NEW TOOLS NECESSARY FOR OUR WORK.EDUCATION & OUTREACH PROGRAMIN FY24, SLT'S EDUCATION & OUTREACH PROGRAM FOCUSED ON DEEPENING COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS AND SUPPORTING LOCAL INITIATIVES. STAFF TABLED AT SEVERAL COMMUNITY PARTNER EVENTS, RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT SLT'S MISSION AND PROGRAMS. SLT ALSO CONTRIBUTED TO THE MORRISVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL OUTDOOR ADVENTURES PROGRAM BY ASSISTING WITH AFTER-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES AND PROVIDING FUN OUTDOOR LEARNING EXPERIENCES FOR STUDENTS. ADDITIONALLY, SLT SUPPORTED THE SES GREENHOUSE AND GARDEN PROJECT BY HELPING WITH GARDEN MAINTENANCE, TRIMMING PLANTS, AND PURCHASING SUPPLIES, PREPARING THE SPACE FOR FUTURE FOOD-GROWING AND EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES. ALTHOUGH THE PROGRAMMING WAS MORE MODEST THAN IN PREVIOUS YEARS, THESE EFFORTS CONTINUE TO FOSTER MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS WITH THE LAND AND PROMOTE ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP IN OUR COMMUNITY.LAND PROTECTION PROGRAM IN JANUARY 2024, SLT PURCHASED AND CONSERVED AN 83-ACRE PROPERTY, NOW KNOWN AS SHUTESVILLE LEDGES, WITHIN THE INTERNATIONALLY IMPORTANT SHUTESVILLE HILL WILDLIFE CORRIDOR THANKS TO ASSISTANCE FROM THE VERMONT HOUSING AND CONSERVATION BOARD, THE NATURE CONSERVANCY, CANADIAN FRIENDS OF STOWE LAND TRUST, VERMONT LAND TRUST, THE SHUTESVILLE HILL WILDLIFE CORRIDOR PARTNERSHIP, AND WITH SUPPORT FROM COMMUNITY MEMBERS. COLLECTIVELY, THESE GROUPS CONTRIBUTED $709,000 TO PERMANENTLY PROTECT THIS KEY PARCEL OF FORESTLAND FROM DEVELOPMENT AFTER IT WAS ON THE MARKET FOR MORE THAN A YEAR. THE SELLERS, BRAD AND CHARLOTTE GARDNER, ALSO GENEROUSLY PROVIDED A $25,000 DISCOUNT ON THE SALE OF THE LAND WHICH HELPED BRING THE PURCHASE WITHIN SLT'S REACH. THIS PROTECTED PIECE OF THE REGIONALLY IMPORTANT WILDLIFE CORRIDOR PLAYS A PIVOTAL ROLE IN MAINTAINING WILDLIFE CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN THE WORCESTER RANGE AND THE NORTHERN GREEN MOUNTAINS - ESPECIALLY IN THE FACE OF CLIMATE CHANGE.IN FY24, SLT ALSO EMBARKED UPON A SUCCESSFUL $1 MILLION DOLLAR CAMPAIGN TO PERMANENTLY PROTECT AN 85-ACRE PARCEL OF LAND OFF THE MOUNTAIN ROAD IN STOWE. IDENTIFIED AS A HIGHEST PRIORITY AREA BY THE VERMONT AGENCY OF NATURAL RESOURCES, THIS PARCEL, THE ADAMS CAMP CONNECTOR, IS ONE PIECE OF A LARGE, INTACT FOREST BLOCK CONSIDERED CRITICAL TO PROTECTING FORESTED HABITAT, HEALTHY AQUATIC AND RIPARIAN SYSTEMS, AND A DIVERSE ECOSYSTEM ON WHICH PLANT AND ANIMAL COMMUNITIES DEPEND. THE PROTECTION OF THE ADAMS CAMP CONNECTOR ALSO BENEFITS OUTDOOR RECREATION, DEER WINTERING AREA, WORKING FORESTLAND, AND THE OVERALL ECOLOGY OF THE LANDSCAPE. THE CONSERVATION OF THE ADAMS CAMP CONNECTOR WILL ADD THE PARCEL TO A GROWING MAP OF INTERCONNECTED AREAS THAT UPHOLD THE ECOLOGICAL INTEGRITY OF VERMONT AND PROTECT ITS NATURAL LEGACY. THE PROPERTY WILL ALSO REMAIN A WORKING FOREST, CONTINUING TO PROVIDE A PLACE FOR THE PERCY FARM TO TAP TREES FOR ITS MAPLE SUGARING OPERATION, AS WELL AS THE OPTION FOR SUSTAINABLY HARVESTED, LOCAL WOOD PRODUCTS TO BE PRODUCED ON A LIMITED PORTION OF THE PROPERTY IN THE FUTURE.