MARLBORO — At the rainy Marlboro Fair, the closest thing to sunshine is the bright yellow striping on the Hogback Mountain Conservation Association's tent.
Fairgoers wander through the tent, stopping at the multiple displays or to ask questions amid an environment steeped in Hogback ephemera.
A history of the mountain compiled from land deeds dating back to the 1770s takes over one wall. Photos of spotted salamanders and information about vernal pools hang next to drawings and poems by Marlboro Elementary School students.
The Marlboro Historical Society displays memorabilia from the long-dormant Hogback Mountain Ski Area, which closed in 1986.
At the tent's entrance, a multicolored placard clearly states the fundraising goals of the Hogback Mountain Conservation Association: $1,737,000 by January 2010.
HMCA and the group's partner, the Vermont Land Trust, want to purchase a 600-acre parcel that includes the mountain, thus preserving it for future generations of citizens and wildlife as a public, low-impact recreational area.
Developers had eyed Hogback with visions of condos.
But the mountain was precious to the generations who learned to ski at Hogback, climbed the fire tower, or hiked the ski trails in summer, including Marlboro resident and HMCA member Bob Anderson. Many community members put their time and energy where their hearts were, he said.
HMCA was founded in 2006 and partnered with the Vermont Land Trust one year later.
Three years later, the same diverse group of concerned people show up at HMCA meetings. Members take photographs, lead birding events, and write letters to the editor to build awareness and support for the project. They have written grants to raise funds.
The property is now owned by the Long View Mountain Group, a limited liability company registered in Vermont in 2007. Anderson described the corporation as “a small group of 'conservation buyers' ” who temporarily purchased the property to take it off the market for two years, allowing HMCA to raise the funds for permanent conservation.
“That partnership will terminate upon completion of the project when they are paid off,” Anderson says. “At that point the title to the property will pass from them to the Town of Marlboro and will have a conservation easement placed on it.”
But first, HMCA must meet the million-plus goal. With $1,457,000 accounted for, $280,000 remains.
“There were a couple of dark days. The economy fell off a cliff,” Anderson says. “But we more than see a light at the end of the tunnel. We see a campfire.”
The property title after purchase will go to the town of Marlboro, and the Vermont Land Trust will hold the conservation easement. Maintenance costs like insurance will be drawn from interest generated by an endowment that will be created from a portion of funds raised.
“[Preserving Hogback] was a rare opportunity to protect a large parcel of undeveloped land,” says Jim Tober professor of economics and environmental science at Marlboro College and HMCA member.
“Broad support is what keeps us as a group going,” says Anderson.
According to Anderson, few have opposed the conservation project.
Although no one in the group is a professional fundraiser, Jen Carr of Marlboro and Sara Anderson, a former town resident, took the grant-writing reins.
“It's hard to see where your next $500,000 will be coming from,” says Carr.
Early on, HMCA received this tidbit of fundraising advice: Get the ball rolling. Find the larger grants from the independent philanthropic organizations. Get most of the money, then open the public appeal.
“Do the public appeal when you can see the campfire,” Carr says, noting that individual donors see that their $20, $30, or $50 donation will make a difference, rather than be dropped into a $1.7-million deep well.
The Vermont Housing and Conservation Board answered the call with a significant $319,000 grant divided over two years. Keen to preserve the scenic elements of Route 9, The Vermont Department of Transportation granted $150,000. The Town of Marlboro added $50,000.
Numerous private and philanthropic foundations followed. Recently the Pew Charitable Trust signed on with a 20-percent match on nearly all remaining funds.
The campaign was threatened in January 2009 when Governor Jim Douglas presented his annual budget. Vermont Housing and Conservation Board's resources had been slashed, pushing projects statewide to the brink. The legislature eventually restored VHCB's funding.
Beyond emotional attachment and tourism, the 600 acres offer multiple resources for wildlife. Coupled with the Molly Stark State Park, Hogback contributes to habitat connectivity, the large and uninterrupted connection between different habitats. It is necessary for large animals like bear and moose, which need ample space to feed or breed.
One of HMCA's long-term goals is to educate future generations about the unique aspects of the land with nature hikes, tracking courses, and bird walks designed to help community members develop their own relationships with the mountain.
The next event is Saturday, Oct. 3, at the former Skyline Restaurant. Past ski patrol members will be on hand to talk about Hogback Ski Area at 7 p.m. For more details or to sign up for HMCA's newsletter, visit their Web site, www.hogback.org.
Marlboro resident Nancy Anderson, a member of HMCA, says it is crucial that undeveloped land is set aside for the future. Vermont is rural now but might not remain that way.
“I hope people will look back and say, 'Thank goodness somebody did that,” she says.