This commentary is by Tracy Zschau of St. Johnsbury, president and CEO of the Vermont Land Trust.
As a resident of St. Johnsbury, I regularly hike up Observatory Knob. A half mile from my home, I get to walk through woods and meadows to a summit with panoramic views. The 117-acre conserved land features forests, open fields and benches to rest — just a short walk from where people live.
This fall, when I grew overwhelmed by the national news, and when floods hit my hometown earlier this summer, this short hike always grounded me. The neighbors I encountered, the winding trails, and the open views to the north and east always stirred gratitude. It’s a reminder of why I have dedicated my working life to land conservation.
As the president of the Vermont Land Trust, I have the privilege of connecting with landowners and supporters throughout Vermont. Our collective experience during the pandemic demonstrated the value of conserved lands in supporting people’s well-being, with food from local farms and open space to get outdoors. Over the past four years that sentiment has only grown.
More recently, we’re witnessing the ability of conservation to strengthen our resilience to climate change. Last year, alongside dozens of partners and homeowners, my organization protected 38 miles along rivers and 245 acres of wetlands, which will help reduce flooding due to more frequent and intense storms.
We’re also witnessing the power of conservation to connect people and provide opportunities for collective action. In a time when communities feel beleaguered by change or divisiveness, I’ve been inspired by moments of unity. Like St. Johnsbury came together to protect the Knob a few years ago, last year community members from Island Pond to Berlin, Athens to Pownal (and more!), protected places that matter to them.
After a divisive national election and with uncertainty about what’s to come, many of us are seeking refuge. This could be a physical refuge or an emotional one: a place where we feel at home, safe and with others who share our love of place.
Conserved lands can provide this refuge. Protecting and caring for the home we share, in solidarity with one another, is one of the most nurturing things we can do right now. It gives us a sense of agency, of taking action with our neighbors and creating lasting change when much feels outside of our control.
This upcoming legislative session, Vermont lawmakers will face difficult choices about which services and programs to fund, and which ones to scale back. They will make these choices in the context of several converging crises.
The impacts of climate change are undeniably here, whether it’s excessive heat, frequent floods or new pests. Added to this are crises in affordable housing, education funding and property taxes, alongside other economic pressures. It’s clear that Vermont’s land and lives are facing a new reality.
The Biodiversity and Climate Resilience Act of 2023, or Act 59, which aims to protect 30% of Vermont’s land and waters by 2030 and 50% by 2050, comes at this inflection point. To reach the 2030 goal, which is just five years away, we will need to double our pace of protection while balancing competing needs on our land.
We’ve done big things in the past and we can rise to the challenge again. One recent success is the culmination of our 27-year effort with The Nature Conservancy to protect 26,000 acres of forestland for nature and communities in the northern Green Mountains. When I joined the Vermont Land Trust in 1997, this effort to protect lands once owned by the Atlas timber company was just getting off the ground. The goal was to show that forests could be managed for ecological health and sustainable timber at the same time.
Atlas was a turning point for conservation in Vermont. It presented a big, bold opportunity to deepen our impact across a globally significant swath of forestland that runs from Northeast Vermont through Nova Scotia.
Fast forward to today, those protected forests support connected habitat for dozens of species and many headwater streams within high-priority watersheds. The lands are also popular destinations for hikers, anglers, and hunters.
Much like Atlas pushed us to innovate, so will Act 59. It will require us to think differently, work in partnership, and generate new resources. It’s an opportunity for us to come together, and it’s the spark we need to do more to protect the home we share in the face of climate change.
Read the story on VTDigger here: Tracy Zschau: Finding common ground in the midst of uncertainty.