Charlotte joins Champlain Valley Conservation Partnership

In 2019, five Chittenden County towns — South Burlington, Williston, Shelburne, Hinesburg and St. George — formed the Champlain Valley Conservation Partnership for the purpose of managing land and protecting natural resources “at a regional scale.”

On Monday night, Charlotte joined the effort, which so far has focused on preserving the contiguity of a swath of forests and waterways that transverses municipal borders across much of southern Chittenden County, hosting “a diversity of rare, threatened and endangered species and other elements.”

Maggie Citarella, who chairs the Charlotte Conservation Commission, had already made a habit of attending the group’s meetings as an observer. The Charlotte Selectboard approved a motion for her to represent the town in an official capacity.

“Sharing conservation strategies and advice and resources across the towns has been really productive and helpful for us in determining what kind of strategies we want to take on and what outreach projects we want to do,” Citarella said.

Citeralla described the Champlain Valley Conservation Partnership as a “collaborative” that envisions “a landscape that provides connected open space for wildlife and humans and where open spaces are large enough to sustain a wide array of species.”

By its own account, the Champlain Valley Conservation Partnership aims to achieve its goals through the “purchase of land and rights in land, upland habitat restoration, wetland and stream restoration, community outreach, land use planning and the sharing of experience.”

Membership carries no financial obligation for participating municipalities.