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State conservation agency asks Townshend to back easements tying together protected lands on Acton Hill
Summary
Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation requested a Select Board letter supporting two conservation easements that would link existing protected parcels into about a 600-acre block; the board approved a letter of support 3–2 after residents and members questioned tax and access implications.
The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation sought Townshend’s formal support for two conservation easements on Acton Hill that agency staff said would connect existing protected land into roughly a "600 some acre block of protected forest land." Gunnar, the FPR representative, told the Select Board the parcels include a 110-acre Milk Ridge parcel and a 199-acre parcel, together offering about 1.6 miles of stream frontage and riparian habitat the agency called important for connectivity and flood resilience.
Gunnar said the easements would be held and monitored by FPR, that landowners would be paid the fair market value determined by an independent appraisal, and that public access for hunting, hiking, fishing and skiing would be retained on the conserved lands. "Conservation easements on the Northridge and facility parcels would ... connect the 2 existing easements up there to create in total a 600 some acre, block of protected forest land," Gunnar said in his presentation.
Residents and board members asked detailed questions about access to a small three‑acre exclusion, tax consequences, and prior examples where conserved properties later changed ownership. Gunnar said access rights for the exclusion would be included in the easement and confirmed owners still pay property taxes. One resident recalled a past case where a property under conservation later sold, saying that situation "doesn't flow well with me," and pressed the board for clarity on long‑term outcomes.
After discussion, Select Board member (speaker 2) moved that the board sign a letter of support for the project; the motion passed on a 3–2 voice vote. The Chair announced, "So it's 3 2 passes," and thanked the presenter. The vote authorizes the Select Board to sign the standard support letter the agency requested; Gunnar said town support is not strictly statutory but is part of the project process in practice.
The next steps noted at the meeting were that the conservation group would proceed with required grant match and federal application processes and that the town's letter would accompany those materials. The Select Board did not adopt additional conditions or seek a binding role in the easement terms at tonight’s meeting.
