Stewardship

Being part of Stowe Land Trust isn’t something you do for the year, and you’re done. We're out there every day fulfilling our ongoing commitment to do right by the land, our community, and the generations that come after us. This work takes time, money, and dedication. We need your help every day to keep our trails accessible, forests healthy, and farms thriving.

The lands we steward

We help care for more than 4,500 acres of protected farm, forest and recreation lands in the Stowe area. We own and manage six properties: Wiessner Woods, Kirchner Woods, DuMont Meadow, Page Forest, the Mill Trail, and Shutesville Ledges. All our other conserved lands are protected with conservation easements. In these cases, we serve as a permanent guardian of the land and work in partnership with landowers and managers to ensure it is well cared for.

Find a conserved property

How we care for land

We work closely with landowners and our partners to ensure conserved land is cared for according to the terms of our conservation easement. At a minimum, our professional staff checks in with landowners and monitors each property annually. The properties we own and manage, including Kirchner Woods and Wiessner Woods, are places where we engage our community in stewardship activities from trail maintenance to tree planting and more. A team of Volunteer Land Stewards also help with monitoring and maintenance. We believe our role as a land trust is to be not only a steward of the land, but a leader in how we engage children and newcomers in land conservation. When everyone in our community has a strong relationship with the land, they will help make sure it is cared for.

Our stewardship work in action

Support this work with a planned gift

For land owners

Your land matters to you. Whether you have a small backyard or 100 acres, you want to make sure your land is cared for sustainably. We're here to help. If you own conserved land, we can help you understand the terms of your conservation easement and support you in meeting them. We can also help connect all landowners in our community to technical assistance, information and resources that can help you learn about your land and make important decisions about its use and care.

For community members

We need everyone who loves and uses our conserved lands to chip in and help fulfill our commitment to care for these places forever. We can't do it without you! You can start today by following our Outdoor Recreation Ethics and encouraging others to do the same, rolling your sleeves up and volunteering, or getting involved through a community partnership.