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About
the Lake Champlain Land Trust
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| Mission - The
mission of the Lake Champlain Land Trust is to save the
scenic beauty, natural communities, and recreational amenities
of Lake Champlain by permanently preserving significant
islands, shoreline areas, and natural communities in the
Champlain Region. |
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How We Conserve Land - We
conserve land by permanently limiting the right to develop
it and by permanently preserving the conservation value
of the land. We use a legal tool called a conservation
easement to accomplish this.
What Land We Conserve -We
look at dozens of properties each year, but only a few
meet our criteria. We only conserve properties that have
high conservation value based on a series of standards.
The Land Trust places a priority on conserving: islands
in Lake Champlain, significant undeveloped shoreline; land
with the potential for public recreation; and properties
with important wildlife habitat. Most
of our conservation projects contain more than one of these
priorities. Land Trust staff are always willing to visit
your property to gauge its conservation potential. Call
our Director of Land Protection, Chris Boget, at 864-3488
or email us to schedule
a site visit.
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| Different Methods
of Conserving Land
Donated Land - An
individual or family will donate a property to the
Land Trust. We will place a conservation easement on
the property that will permanently conserve it. In
most cases, the property is then donated to a municipality,
the state, or another non-profit organization for the
public’s benefit.
Donated Conservation Easement - In
this case, an individual or family will donate not
the whole property, but a conservation easement on
their land. This easement will permanently limit development
and preserve the property’s conservation values.
The land will still remain in the private hands as
open space. In most cases this land remains closed
to public access. The public benefits to this arrangement
are scenic open space and conserved wildlife habitat.
Purchased Land - Sometimes
the Land Trust will purchase a property. In these cases,
the Land Trust will raise funds from individual donations
and grants and purchase a property outright. We will
then place a conservation easement on the property
that will permanently conserve it. The property is
then donated to a municipality, the state, or another
non-profit organization for the public’s benefit.
In all cases our goal is to conserve the land but not
to be the long term owners of the land.
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| Stewardship - The
work of stewardship begins once the island, lakeshore,
or watershed has been identified and conserved. The ongoing
commitment to monitor, defend, and enforce the easement
is what ensures protection in perpetuity. Thus, the Land
Trust's stewardship program consists of several different
components: the drafting of solid documents that establish
the terms of the easement and the base condition of the
property, establishing effective communication with landowners,
and annual monitoring visits by the Land Trust. |
Our
Policies - The
land we conserve must meet rigorous criteria. Additionally,
our board members must sign a Conflict of Interest statement
each year to assure that they, their family members,
and the people they work for, will not gain personally
from any Land Trust action they are called to pass judgment
on.
Bylaws
Project
Criteria
Conflict
of Interest
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Yellow Water Clowfoot
Stolen Fossil from Isle La Motte
Family Hike at Niquette Bay
Cedars on the Shelburne Shoreline
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