Technical Assistance to Communities

VNRC is working to develop creative new planning and zoning strategies in Vermont to promote forestland conservation and reduce forest fragmentation and parcelization. We are reviewing forestland conservation planning strategies that exist in the state and developing new planning templates for municipalities. VNRC is available to assist communities on this issue in several ways.
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Fighting Forest Fragmentation in Halifax

As part of our Forest Conservation Campaign, VNRC is representing six landowners in Halifax, Vermont, who are challenging forestland development in two locations rich in forest and wildlife resources. The effort by the Town of Halifax to reclassify recreational trails to roads could set a dangerous precedent and help facilitate increased development in rural and forested areas. VNRC is working closely with citizens, as part of our technical assistance program, to help them fight potentially inappropriate subdivision development.
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Decision in Halifax Case Important Precedent, Conservation Win

A recent ruling by a state court that two backcountry trails in the Town of Halifax could not be reclassified to public roads will have important implications for the rural southern Vermont community and other towns working to control sprawl. The decision will help make rural lands along trails, which include significant wildlife habitat, working forests and recreational opportunities, less vulnerable to development.
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