Foxbard Farm – Lessons Learned

• Think creatively about land protection — it can be more than merely land trusts buying land. Look for additional partners and outcomes.
• Don't overlook the potential to have the land "pay its way" and contribute to local production (in this case John Payne's farm) as well as the land protection itself (in this case, FLT earns $500/year in the lease arrangement, thereby gaining benefit to apply towards other land protection projects).
• Land protection does not have to take land off of the tax rolls in town: John Payne makes a reasonable payment in lieu of taxes to Shelburne, in light of the agricultural productivity potential of the land.
• Work with a local land trust to help creatively design the project. While local citizens might be motivated to make a conservation project happen, they probably have little-to-no experience in such arrangements, and would benefit by working with a land trust that is involved in these matters on a daily basis. On the other hand, don't overlook the power of local citizenry to make the case in town to donors and skeptics. There is a role for both, but probably most successful projects are the result of land trust experience and local enthusiasm and involvement.
• FLT did what land trusts do best: structure the deal, negotiate with donors and the seller, and buy the land. FLT did not want the subsequent responsibility of management, so it found an excellent manager in the abutter, to be a good steward of the land. FLT wins because it is not encumbered by management details and responsibilities, and John Payne, the abutter, wins because he gets additional agriculture and forest land to manage for the benefit of his farm. The town of Shelburne wins because a payment is made annually in lieu of taxes, and no homes are built on the land, incurring community service costs (school, fire, police, roads) which are not adequately covered by property taxes. The original neighboring landowner now living in Florida wins, because she was paid a competitive, market-based price for the land.