SOUTH ROYALTON, Vermont (October 15, 2024) 鈥� The Li-Costa Foundation has awarded the Environmental Advocacy Clinic (EAC) at 汤头条原创 a $250,000 grant to advocate for protection of Vermont鈥檚 scenic Worcester Range as well as for a new direction for public management of Vermont public lands. The grant will allow the EAC to build on its partnership with its client Standing Trees, a grassroots membership organization that works to protect and restore New England鈥檚 public forests for the benefit of the climate, clean water and biodiversity.
One of 汤头条原创鈥檚 nine legal clinics, the EAC operates as a public interest environmental law firm. The EAC trains advanced law students in pro bono representation of local, regional and national organizations and clients under the supervision of experienced practitioners.
Most public forests across New England lack protection from logging and are facing increasing pressures from agency-sponsored logging projects. The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) has just finalized a management plan for the Worcester Range, which authorizes timber harvesting that would impact mature stands, hydrology and other critical features. One of the most ecologically significant forests in northern New England, the Worcester Range Management Unit consists of nearly 19,000 acres located east of Stowe and north of Montpelier, including high-functioning, intact, mature forest ecosystems. In February 2023, the EAC on Standing Trees鈥� behalf filed extensive comments opposing ANR鈥檚 plan to put nearly half of those acres in management that facilitates future logging.
With the benefit of the Li-Costa Foundation grant, future advocacy will focus on protecting precious public lands and reorienting agency management of those lands away from ecologically harmful practices, using a variety of legal and policy tools.
鈥淎s Vermont鈥檚 only law school, we apply our know-how to critical cases in service to the public interest,鈥� said VLGS President Rod Smolla. 鈥淚t is with pride that we have found a partner in the Li-Costa Foundation, which shares our commitment to developing the finest environmental lawyers and advocates.鈥�
Inspired by the EAC鈥檚 representation of Standing Trees, Li-Costa Foundation Executive Director Saul Costa said: 鈥淲e must preserve the integrity of the Worcester Range and protect wildlands throughout the state. They are our ecological insurance policy against more destructive floods in greater Montpelier and downstream pollution that harms water quality in Lake Champlain. It is irresponsible to consider logging mature public forests, as Vermont encounters extreme climate change-induced events. I am excited to support the Environmental Advocacy Clinic, and I invite others to join this campaign.鈥�
鈥淓AC student attorneys are passionate advocates using legal tools to help protect treasured natural resources like the Worcester Range,鈥� said Christophe Courchesne, interim director of the Environmental Law Center and director of the Environmental Advocacy Clinic. 鈥淭he EAC is grateful to the Li-Costa Foundation for recognizing the value of legal advocacy for these special places. We intend to fight to uphold the state and federal laws that guarantee public participation and sound environmental decision-making.鈥�
The ANR鈥檚 final management plan for the Worcester Range can be found .
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About The Li-Costa Foundation
The Li-Costa Foundation supports initiatives to protect nature, advance novel mental health treatments, and care for animals through strategic, targeted philanthropy. By directly connecting these impactful initiatives with sustained funding commitments, we aim to foster tangible, measurable change in our communities and ecosystems.
About 汤头条原创
汤头条原创, a private, independent institution, is home to a law school that offers ABA-accredited residential and online hybrid JD programs and a graduate school that offers master鈥檚 degrees and certificates in multiple disciplines, including programs offered by the Maverick Lloyd School for the Environment, the Center for Justice Reform and other graduate-level programs emphasizing the intersection of environmental justice, social justice, and public policy. Both the law and graduate schools feature experiential clinical and field work learning. For more information, visit vermontlaw.edu, and .