Conservation without people is just a fence

Conservation without people is just a fence

KEVIN FOX This month, the Middlebury Area Land Trust’s (MALT) stewardship team visited Foote Farm in Cornwall for a routine conservation easement monitoring visit. Conserved in 2006, the property protects approximately 113 acres of fields, forests, wetlands, and wildlife habitat while also accommodating a thoughtfully designed residential community. What struck me most was not compliance with the terms of the conservation easement, but the peopl…