What does it take to conserve land? An outing with the Southern Vermont Young Professionals and Bull Creek Common Lands
Last year, Vermont set a goal to have 50 percent of the state set aside as permanently conserved lands by 2050. At a Raymond Bemis Community Forest hike in Athens on Saturday, Bull Creek Common Lands (BCCL) board chair Hannah Regier spoke with the Southern Vermont Young Professionals about the process of land conservation.
The SoVTYPs and BCCL board members enjoyed exploring the community forest together, then gathered in the “outdoor classroom” to hear about how BCCL was formed and what is involved in permanently protecting land from development, bolstering biodiversity and climate resilience, and ensuring public access.
BCCL is a fairly new nonprofit, formed to conserve lands around the Bull Creek and Grassy Brook watersheds, which lie primarily in Athens and Brookline.
Conserving the community forest, already in use as a hiking area, was a clear first step for the organization. With donations and major grants from the Vermont Conservation and Housing Board, the Davis Foundation, Fields Pond Foundation, and the Windham Foundation, BCCL was able to purchase the 36-acre parcel and put a conservation easement in place through the Vermont Land Trust.
BCCL is now at work on acquiring and conserving over 230 acres in the headwaters of the Bull Creek.
The small, all-volunteer organization hosts monthly “Saturdays on the Land” and welcomes short-term, project-based volunteer work and additional board members to further their efforts.
Learn more about the process of land conservation in Vermont via this beautiful handout from Hannah Regier, and follow BCCL on Instagram or sign up for emails to stay up to date on their projects and events.
And don’t forget to join our mailing list to hear about other great events from the Southern Vermont Young Professionals!
About Southern Vermont Young Professionals
The Southern Vermont Young Professionals is a workforce initiative of Southeastern Vermont Economic Development Strategies (SeVEDS) and the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC). Our mission is to attract, retain and support Young Professionals in Southern Vermont by providing engaging opportunities and networking through social and educational events, and volunteer opportunities. The YP initiative is increasingly important to Southern Vermont’s businesses and communities as a strategic approach to growing the size of the region’s workforce and increasing the number of younger households in the region. For more information please visit: https://brattleborodevelopment.com/sovtyps/
