Association of Vermont Conservation Commissions

While the publication of 'An Enduring Place' is an accomplishment in and of itself, the compilation of stories, connections, and values presented in the document has encouraged local empowerment and created a vision of a connected network across the landscape. This sense of connectivity has led to permanent land protection and a new look at how development planning can be made less impactful for wildlife. The publication itself is unique; it is a great example of how to celebrate a place by creating a document.

Vermont Fish and Wildlife
National Wildlife Federation

The publication of 'An Enduring Place' has been described by Jens Hilke, a Vermont Conservation Planning Biologist, as 'a small discrete project in the context of a tremendous amount of work.' The staff of professionals and the funding provided by the State Wildlife Grant made 'An Enduring Place' a very high quality document that will have lasting visionary impacts for years to come.

Similar to other conservation projects, a persistent challenge for the creation of 'An Enduring Place' was securing funding. This was largely because those that fund projects ideally want to see tangible and direct results of the money spent, which is not what the publication could offer. While the document could broadcast a valuable message that would have a widespread impact on land management and community self-image, it is very difficult to demonstrate a causative results. The partners of this project were willing to get on board due to the fact that the most effective means of improving privately owned land management is often through educational documents or events.