Founded in 1986, Valley Land Fund (VLF) has worked in 37 Hampshire, Franklin, and Hampden County towns to protect over 5700 acres of the special places of the Connecticut River Valley: working farmland and forests; rare wildlife and plant habitat; river and trail corridors; land adjacent to existing state and town conservation areas; and reservoir watersheds and aquifer areas.
Although Valley Land Fund does hold properties and conservation restrictions, it concentrates on another important mission. The essence of VLF's charter is to act as a regional land protection resource and facilitator, assisting local trusts, ad hoc groups, local and state governments, and private landowners. With our emphasis on cooperative efforts, VLF (serving either as the lead organization or as a vital contributor) frequently has two or three partners in its projects.
Through the work of our all-volunteer Board of Directors (with expertise in ecology, land use planning, agriculture, and land conservation), and the generosity of over 350 contributing members, we provide technical, financial, and legal support to towns and formal or informal local groups. We also provide state agencies with interim funding and acquisition assistance, and give conservation advice to landowners. Finally, meetings organized by VLF foster cooperation in the region's land conservation community.
In its sixteen-year existence, Valley Land Fund has established a reputation as a frugal, efficient, and effective land protection organization, willing to take risks and act quickly and cooperatively to protect important conservation lands. The following is a sample of our projects and our partnerships, from the more than 121 projects the Fund has carried out in 37 towns, preserving nearly 6000 acres including the following parcels.