The Campaign to Protect Goulet Farm
The Goulet Farm, located in the Keeler Bay watershed, is where Guy and Lori Goulet have grown a vibrant hay business and market garden. They sell their produce as well as baked goods and many other local products at the busy farmstand right in the heart of the village of Keeler Bay. South Hero Land Trust is working with the Goulet and Swanson families to protect 195 acres of land with a conservation easement, securing a critical landbase for the Goulet Farm long into the future, as well as supporting our local food system, and our community. Read more about the farm from our recent newsletter article here>>
We are currently in the middle of raising funds to complete the project, including bringing in federal and state farmland conservation grants. A few local donors have also helped move this project forward, including one generous donor which has offered to match gifts of $20,000 and above!
As of June, we are currently working to raise the final $50,000 needed to successfully complete the project by the end of August.
And, we are thrilled to announce that local artist Roy Newton has generously donated 10 original works of art to support the project! All gifts $500 and above are eligible to receive one of these stunning landscapes via a raffle held at the end of the campaign.
2025 Youth Summer Camps
Now in our 5th year, the SHLT summer camp program is back! Join us in 2025 with week-long camps for grades 1-8. Based at Folsom School and the South Hero Recreation Park, we will also explore nearby parks, farms, and trails. Camps are geared towards cultivating children’s’ connection with the land, celebrating the beauty of nature, appreciating local food and farms, and building lifelong skills. Our camps are led by our experienced team of SHLT staff, plus our summer interns via the UVM Rubenstein School Perennial Internship Program.
All camps will be from 8:30 - 3:30. More information about each camp in the link below:
The Latest News
Goulet Farm in South Hero, our newest conservation project
A Labor of Love: Neighbors Work Together to Protect the Goulet Farm
Fall 2024 Newsletter
Four Generations of Farming
Guy Goulet’s grandfather emigrated to Vermont from Quebec in the 1940s. His family, including a 3 year old son who became Guy’s father, came with him. After short stints in Lincoln and Jericho, the family purchased a farm in South Hero and set down roots.
Guy always knew he wanted to be a farmer. “My heart was always here,” he says. He met his wife Lori in 2013, at the Ford dealership where she worked and he had his pickup trucks serviced. They have six grown children between them, including Guy’s stepson Brad Isham, who works the farm with them.
Brad will be the next generation to steward this land, and he quotes the adage, “if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life,” to explain how it just feels right to him. READ THE 2024 ARTICLE ON THE GOULET FARM PROJECT HERE>>>
Nora Seymour, SHLT’s New Programs Coordinator!
Meet SHLT’s New Programs Coordinator: Nora Seymour
Summer 2025 Newsletter
Hello! My name is Nora Seymour. I’m very happy to be joining the South Hero community as SHLT’s new Programs Coordinator, and look forward to meeting many of you this summer!
My story in outdoor education began while I was getting my undergraduate degree in Sustainable Food and Farming at UMass Amherst and working in the campus garden. Leading field trips there, I realized that my passion was in sharing the knowledge and curiosity of gardens with others.
Since then I’ve been able to work at a school garden in the desert, lead thousands of students on farm field trips in Washington, do restoration projects and teach about riparian ecology in Oregon, and run the education programs at a nonprofit farm in Vermont. READ MORE ABOUT NORA HERE>>>
from L-R: Isabel, Ella, and Sidra, mowing the Landon-Round Pond Connector Trail
Meet SHLT’s Summer Interns!
South Hero Land Trust is thrilled to be working with Ella Yates, Sidra Hoffman, and Isabel Sykora through UVM’s Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Perennial Internship Program.
Ella and Sidra are splitting their time between Sandy Bottom Farm, where they’ll learn about sustainable agriculture and food production; and SHLT, where they’ll work on food security, trails, restoration and education projects.
Isabel, our dedicated SHLT position, is working with Nora to lead youth and adult education programs, maintaining our two gardens, and stewarding South Hero’s public access and natural areas.
Emily Alger and Guy Maguire
Changing Seasons and Transitions at South Hero Land Trust
Fall 2024 Newsletter
After leading South Hero Land Trust for 9 growth-filled years, Emily Alger will step down from her position of Executive Director at the end of 2024. We are thrilled to announce that Guy Maguire, our Director of Programs, will be stepping into this leadership role. We will miss Emily as a daily part of South Hero Land Trust, are grateful for all she has done for the land trust and our community, and wish her all the best in her new adventures with her family. At the same time, the South Hero Land Trust Board and staff are excited about new opportunities for the land trust under Guy’s leadership.
Emily has worked at South Hero Land Trust for over 15 years. After serving as Director of Programs for 6 years, she was appointed Executive Director in 2015. She’s had a hand in everything we do during her time here, including land conservation projects, trail development, environmental education, and farm viability programs. She oversaw the conservation of Tracy Woods and opening of the Tracy Woods Community Trail, expanded the Guide to Agriculture into the interactive website and print map it is today, inspired us to prioritize accessibility in current and future trail projects, and more. Her love of the land and commitment to nurturing the relationships we each have with the land have been guideposts for our growth over the last several years. READ MORE ABOUT THE STAFF TRANSITION HERE>>>
Parker and Jenna collecting accessibility data along a trail route
A New Trails Partnership: Making South Hero More Accessible and Inclusive
Fall 2024 Newsletter
Approximately 1 in 4 people in the US live with disabilities, and historically, many outdoor spaces haven’t been designed to include them. Over the past few years, SHLT has increasingly been focusing on this injustice: it’s one of the main drivers behind projects like our inclusive paddles, the rebuilding of the wheelchair accessible boardwalk in the Rec Park, and design plans for the Islandacres Trail, our next major trail project.
We’re grateful to have a strong local partner and mentor in Cathy Webster, Northeast Disabled Athletic Association’s Kayak Program Manager. Earlier this year, we paired with Cathy to design a new project that will deepen our involvement in making our community’s trails and outdoor spaces more accessible for people with disabilities. We’re excited to share That this partnership is one of only 10 groups in the country who were awarded the Partnerships for Disability Access, Inclusion, and Leadership grant - a new grant co-created by the Land Trust Alliance and Disabled Hikers. READ MORE ABOUT THIS ACCESSIBILITY PROJECT HERE>>>