DUMMERSTON — The U.S. is losing an average of 6,000 acres of open space every DAY, according to the Trust for Public Land. In Dummerston, in 1960, there were about 300 houses. Today, there are about 800. Almost all of those new houses were single-family houses built in remote areas of farmland and forestland, far from other homes.
One of the best ways to stop climate change is to protect open space. Protecting farmland is a good investment. Farmland attracts tourists and creates jobs for hotel and restaurant workers. According to a study by the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, the towns that have protected the most land from development have the lowest property taxes.
In Dummerston, the Selectboard is proposing an investment of $2,500 in farmland protection this year. Restoring our traditional $5,000 annual investment would cost the average resident about $1 a year.
Please come to town meeting on March 7 at 10 a.m. at the school and vote in favor of this change.
For more information, I can be reached by phone at 802-254-2531 or by e-mail at ewilliams@valleypost.org.