Nestled between the Adirondack High Peaks of New York and Lake Champlain, the Champlain Valley’s rolling hills, sweeping views, family-owned farms and wooded trails make this an ideal region for land conservation.
“There is a whole crop of farmers (in the Valley) who are choosing to work the land, who embrace a back-to-the-land ethic and are changing the way we think about food.”
– Nat Klipper
Since 2012, we have been teaming up with the Klipper Family Fund for the Champlain Valley to preserve more than 2,200 acres in and around Essex, New York. Together with our partners, including the Lake Champlain Land Trust and Champlain Area Trails (CATS), we have been growing the local economy and expanding public access along the way.
Saving working farms
With a $1.2 million gift from the Klipper Fund—matched by $500,000 of our own funds—we are protecting heritage farms, open space and pristine forests in the Champlain Valley.
Our support takes many forms. We can purchase development rights of existing farms through easements, protecting the underlying land forever and providing vital capital for the farmer to reinvest.
