Conservation Project to Benefit Art and Nature Receives Set Back

Grant Denial Increases Burden on Local Fundraising Effort

MANCHESTER, VT — January 31, 2008 — The Vermont Housing and Conservation Board voted on Friday to reject a grant application from The Nature Conservancy for a conservation project in the Equinox Highlands.

The 312-acre forested parcel currently owned by the Southern Vermont Arts Center is under contract to the Vermont chapter of the Conservancy. This forested parcel is part of the largest patch of rich northern hardwood forest in the Northeast, and is an important addition to lands already conserved in the area. The parcel reaches from 1,100 ft to 3,100ft just below the ridgeline.

Bob Klein, Director of the Conservancy's Vermont Chapter said, "We are very disappointed that the Board voted against this project in the Equinox Highlands. With the exceptional quality of these woods and their proximity to other conserved parcels we have an opportunity to create a natural area able to withstand the stress of a rapidly changing climate. Creating a network of healthy natural areas is essential if our forests are to remain healthy while adapting to the unprecedented pace and severity of change.”

Community support for this project is overwhelming. 99% of the Southern Vermont Arts Center members voted in favor of the deal, and letters of support poured into the Vermont Housing and Conservation board from the Town of Manchester, Equinox Preservation Trust and individuals in the community.

Klein added, “This project fits the Vermont Housing and Conservation board’s definition of natural areas perfectly. Therefore it is especially puzzling that the board rejected the project because the land would become a nature preserve without timber harvesting. To require logging would defeat the purpose of setting this land aside as a natural area to be enjoyed by everyone.”

Project costs, including the land purchase price and endowment funds for ecological stewardship and trail management, will be in excess of $900,000. Support from the Vermont Housing and Conservation board was a critical piece of the fundraising strategy, which must now focus even more attention on private and local fundraising efforts.

Klein added, “We remain committed to this project and will do everything in our power to raise the remaining $650,000."

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.