Commentary
RAVEN RIDGE – What was the Selectboard thinking?

Raven Ridge is a spectacular 364-acre area of mostly forested land located in Charlotte, Hinesburg and Monkton. The property contains many features of statewide significance, including excellent otter, raven and bobcat habitat, high quality maternal roosting and foraging habitat for the federally endangered Indiana bat, exemplary forest types, high quality wetlands, and a north-south ridge with outstanding views that contains two remarkable geologic features, a large cave and an area of exposed folded layers of rock (an “exposed anticline”) known as The Oven. Slightly more than one-half of the ridge lies in Charlotte. Also in Charlotte are much of the best bobcat habitat, the raven nest site, a vernal pool, the cave, the steepest cliffs and multiple views of Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks. In short, this is the kind of property that those who love nature and the outdoors dream of being able to conserve.
The Nature Conservancy is willing to own and steward this potential preserve, thus providing permanent protection and ongoing oversight of the area, including maintenance of trails, signage and a public access area with parking. This means that the preserve would be available to all of us to explore, study and appreciate now and into the future with no additional cost to the town.
What was the Selectboard thinking when it allocated only $15,000 from the Charlotte Conservation Fund toward the conservation of this property?
The Charlotte and Hinesburg portions of the land are being donated to The Nature Conservancy by Raven Davis and Ed Everts. The total project cost is $859,160, with $772,200 having been raised already, including a $40,000 contribution from The Charlotte Land Trust from privately raised money. This leaves $66,960 (as of 10/25/09) to be raised for purchase of the remaining land in order for this rare opportunity to come to fruition. (See box.)
It should be noted that the Monkton Conservation Fund is new and much smaller than the Charlotte Conversation Fund. Monkton chose to give Raven Ridge its very first grant with a donation of $15,000. The pending Hinesburg contribution of $20,000 represents over 90% of its funds available for land conservation, even though the land in Hinesburg is being donated by Raven and Ed. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grant of $500,000 is for the protection of the federally endangered Indiana bat.
The Charlotte Conservation Fund Advisory Committee, after unanimous support from the Charlotte Recreation Commission, the Charlotte Conservation Commission and the Charlotte Land Trust, recommended to the Selectboard that it approve a $60,000 contribution from the Charlotte Conservation Fund. The Charlotte Trails Committee also endorsed the request.
So far so good, but then the problems began. At the several Selectboard discussions regarding the $60,000 request, the chief problem raised was the appropriateness of the Charlotte Conservation Fund contributing to the purchase of land not located in Charlotte. The irony here is that had Raven and Ed not offered to donate their land, this would not be an issue. The Charlotte Land Trust representatives pointed out that the project should be considered as a single entity to be enjoyed and shared by all three towns and cared for and stewarded as a single entity by The Nature Conservancy. Many of the important features of the area are located in the Charlotte portion. Conservation of the entire area will provide townspeople an opportunity to enjoy all of this remarkable natural preserve, to walk on its trails, to crawl in the cave, to enjoy the views and to otherwise appreciate the beauty of the preserve.
The various discussions and information gathering that followed are too long and convoluted to describe in the space allowed here. The end result was that, being concerned primarily as to whether using Charlotte Conservation Fund money was appropriate for land located outside of Charlotte, the Selectboard voted 4-1 against the $60,000 request and decided to put the question to a townwide vote. The Charlotte Land Trust later withdrew its $60,000 request for the very practical reason that it would mean several weeks before the townwide vote could be held. Because of landowner closing deadlines, this would not leave enough time for the necessary public fundraising should the vote result in a denial of town funding.
Meanwhile the town attorney advised the Selectboard that it could use the Conservation fund as members, in their judgment, felt appropriate, whether the land be in Charlotte or not. The fund can be used for the purchase of land or easements on land and for associated closing costs.
The Selectboard did indicate that it might look favorably on a request for funding of the Charlotte portion of the project closing expenses. The closing costs applicable for Charlotte for the Raven Ridge project were estimated by The Nature Conservancy to be $35,700. At a subsequent meeting, the Charlotte Land Trust came back to the Selectboard requesting that figure.
After hearing a presentation on the closing costs, the Selectboard then approved $15,000 without any justification for that number other than it was equal to the Monkton contribution. The decision was made without any regard for the available dollars in the Charlotte Conservation Fund (which are more than adequate to cover $60,000), without regard to the fact that this project epitomizes what the Conservation Fund is designed to support, without regard to the fact that the request now included closing costs attributable only to the Charlotte portion of the project, without regard to the fact that the town attorney found no issue in the use of the fund for this project, without regard to the fact that the town groups designated by the town to review and approve Conservation Fund expenditures all unanimously approved this project, and without regard to the fact that preservation of this magnificent property will provide a great value to the Town of Charlotte and its citizens. What was the Selectboard thinking? This is the very kind of resource that the Charlotte Conservation Fund was designed to protect.
In order for the project to come to fruition, it is now necessary, with a very tight deadline, to raise funds privately for the remaining required dollars. It seems a shame to have to do this, because we already give through our taxes. But let us be generous and support perhaps the best land conservation project that Charlotte has ever seen and at the same time send a message to the Selectboard that we townspeople in Charlotte continue to treasure our open spaces and natural resources.

Ellie Russell