Brothers Protect Family Land in Londonderry

Reprinted with permission of Vermont Land Trust

Brothers Jim and Bob Twitchell were born and raised on a farm that has been in their family for 160 years. With sweeping views of the Bromley and Stratton Mountains, the Londonderry land could be desirable for houses. But that’s not what Jim and Bob wanted. Instead, they donated a conservation easement on 186 acres of open and forested land to VLT. “This farm and land have been the center of our entire lives,” said Bob. “It is our hope that by removing the development options… the land can stay intact for the enjoyment and use of future generations, for as long as water flows and green grass grows.”

The brothers have sugared, harvested timber and firewood, and maintained pasture for beef cattle. They keep wildlife in mind, too. They have promoted apple trees, which provide food for animals, and they practice delayed mowing in a field used by bobolinks—grassland birds that have lost much of their habitat.

Supported by the Town of Londonderry Conservation Commission.

(This story is from the Vermont Land Trust’s Panorama Spring 2020.)