The CHC Conservation Fund: Ensuring a Green Future
by Dave Erickson
The CHC Conservation Fund was established to help offset the increasingly high costs -- which can be a barrier to many -- to complete strategic conservation projects that benefit our wildlife and human communities. These costs are associated with project expenses including surveys, appraisals, title reports, ecological assessments, stewardship endowments, etc. Since 2018, CHC has been able to offer this assistance through the generous support of the Canaday Family Charitable Trust, the Jessie B. Cox Charitable Trust Fund, the Linthilac Foundation, and the Network for Landscape Conservation Catalyst Fund. This has allowed CHC to further our collective goal of conserving an additional 23,000 acres of forestland by 2030.
[We are currently 36% of the way there.]
Over the course of just the past year and a half, CHC has accelerated the impact of this fund by increasing staff capacity to support more projects with a growing list of partners. We also use this fund to provide match and help leverage other grants needed to complete projects. During this period, CHC has dispersed or pledged nearly $115,000 from the Conservation Fund in support of 11 projects representing 4,400+ acres, 95% of which are located within strategic blocks of forest. These blocks are identified by Vermont Conservation Design and are a high priority to protect to preserve biodiversity and maintain ecological function and integrity of our shared landscape. Together, these projects represent 215 acres of critical wetland habitats and over 18 miles of precious stream and river frontage.
Four of these projects were completed in 2024 including Don and Sandy Crocker’s easement with the Vermont Land Trust and Joan and Bill Hildreth’s easement with the New England Forestry Foundation. These properties are in close proximity to each other in Montgomery and now forever protect an important link for wildlife moving from the upper portions of the wild and scenic Trout River, of which over a half mile was protected by the Crockers, across Route 242 and through an important piece protected by the Hildreth’s, representing a strategic link to a large swath of forest extending to the summit of Jay Peak.
Support from CHC’s Conservation Fund has also been instrumental in demonstrating local support for conservation. This has helped leverage over 3.3 million dollars in additional funds representing a direct investment in strategic conservation in our backyard. Most of these funds come from federal sources (62%) -- highlighting their significance given recent uncertainties -- with the remainder coming from our partners at the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board (34%) and other sources such as town funds and private foundations (4%). Over this past year and a half, this equates to a ratio of every $25.50 committed from CHC’s Conservation Fund helping protect an acre of strategic forestland in our region! A true testament to the power of collaboration and philanthropy.
With all this recent work, CHC’s Conservation Fund is nearly depleted. Over the coming year, we are working to regrow the fund so we can continue to support land protection efforts for the benefit of our wildlife and human communities. This will be pivotal in achieving our conservation goal and safeguarding the natural world for generations to come. If you would like to learn more or have any ideas to offer, please contact Dave.
