History

The Charlotte Land Trust was formed in 1986 as an outgrowth of an agriculture committee that was assisting the Planning Commission to develop a new town plan. Members of the committee were concerned about increasing development in town and agreed to look into
forming a local land trust. For the next 9 years, the organization helped make an impressive number of local projects happen, primarily resulting in conservation easements that are held by the Vermont Land Trust.

From the start, the focus of CLT was to conserve farmland and to make affordable farmland available to farmers. CLT equally prioritizes the preservation of forestland, wildlife habitat and corridors, wetlands and waterways and scenic lands. In 1995 the board filed for incorporation and became a non-profit, 501(c)(3) corporation in order to expand its opportunities and raise money for conservation projects. Since then,
CLT has reached out to local and seasonal residents and others who support our work through contributions to the organization.

In 1995 a Town Conservation Fund was proposed and CLT helped educate residents about the benefits of such a fund. It was voted on and approved at Town Meeting in March 1996. The Fund has been renewed multiple times since then. This fund has been used to help
support numerous conservation projects in town, particularly larger farm projects, totaling over 1000 acres.  Since incorporating as a non-profit in 1995, CLT has acquired 16 conservation easements on local land, totaling over 600 acres. These easements are monitored by our Stewardship Program. We have also assisted with many Charlotte conservation projects spearheaded by
other conservation groups including the Vermont Land Trust, the Lake Champlain Land Trust and the Nature Conservancy.

At various times CLT has had paid staff, but for the past 20+ years it has operated as an all volunteer organization with a board that has ranged from 10 to 15 people. The support, energy and commitment of many Charlotters have made CLT’s accomplishments possible.
Although the town has grown over the decades since CLT launched, it still retains much of the rural character that makes Charlotte a special place.