Maine Forestland Owners Receive New England Leopold Conservation Award

David Moskovitz and Bambi Jones of Whitefield, Maine have been selected as the recipients of the 2024 New England Leopold Conservation Award^®.

The award honors farmers and forestland owners who go above and beyond in the management of soil health, water quality, and wildlife habitat on working land.

Moskovitz and Jones, own and operate Hidden Valley Farm, were presented with the award during a special presentation. They received $10,000 for being selected.

Sand County Foundation and national sponsor American Farmland Trust will present Leopold Conservation Awards to landowners in 28 states this year. In New England the award is presented with New England Forestry Foundation and American Farmland Trust-New England.

Given in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, the award recognizes farmers and forestland owners who inspire others with their dedication to environmental improvement. In his influential 1949 book, A Sand County Almanac, Leopold called for “a land ethic,” an ethical relationship between people and the land they own and manage.

Earlier this year, owners of forestland and farmland in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont were encouraged to apply, or be nominated, for the award. Applications were reviewed by an independent panel of agricultural and forestry conservation leaders from New England. Among the many outstanding landowners nominated for the award were finalists: Harrison’s Homegrown of Addison, Vermont; Sweetland Farm of Norwich, Vermont; and The Corse Farm Dairy of Whitingham, Vermont.

ABOUT DAVID MOSKOVITZ & BAMBI JONES

Every Earth Day since 1990, the owners of Hidden Valley Farm have taken a group of friends on a hike through their forests to revisit 40 trees marked with metal tree tags to show growth. But these trees only tell part of the story of their growth as landowners.

For 45 years David Moskovitz and Bambi Jones have worked to produce a forest of well-spaced trees of various sizes and native species, where the best trees are left to grow to a large and valuable size.

The couple are Cleveland natives who met as attorneys in Chicago. In the 1970s they moved to Maine as part of the back-to-the-land movement. They bought their first 100 acres to begin organic farming. Bambi ran a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program for 120 customers for the next 20 years.

Like most rural New England parcels, part of their farm was forested, so they harvested some timber to build a house and barn.

“I liked that forestry was not as urgent as farming,” said David, who used the lessons learned from farming and running a CSA to inform his work in the woods.

Over time, the couple purchased more than 15 nearby forested properties. David and Bambi shifted much of their attention to practicing sustainable forestry and began building a trail network for hiking and cross-country skiing.

They worked with licensed consulting foresters to accomplish their management goals: earning income while continuously improving the quality and quantity of standing timber, creating wildlife habitat, and ensuring the forests’ health.

David and Bambi’s discovery of a scenic pond near their farm’s border inspired them to reach out to neighbors in hopes of preserving and utilizing this special spot. Their CSA experience led them to try a membership-based program for outdoors enthusiasts to financially contribute and help establish a trail system.

In 2007, they established a non-profit organization called the Hidden Valley Nature Center (HVNC) that operated on 1,000 acres assembled from seven purchases over 15 years. With help from a hired director and volunteers, David and Bambi held educational tours on conservation and forestry practices.

Their conservation-minded philanthropy led them to sell the land on which the HVNC operated at a bargain rate in 2016. It was part of a merger with four local land trusts to create the Midcoast Conservancy. At their urging, sustainable forestry is one of its founding pillars.

The trend of forest fragmentation has an impact on biodiversity and wildlife habitat. Both the Hidden Valley Farm and HVNC are unique consolidations of contiguous parcels managed to build resilience and provide continuous cover.

Like at HVNC, Hidden Valley Farm maintains a trail network for non-motorized recreation. Although not a public preserve, Hidden Valley Farm is open year-round to all. Of its 1,200 acres, 15 continue to be managed organically for a neighborhood CSA.

Hidden Valley Farm also contains wetlands, streams, and vernal pools. More than 20 miles of carefully designed logging roads and recreational trails prevent soil erosion and protect water quality. Soil-disturbing management activities are limited to frozen or dry-ground conditions, and brush piles, bird boxes and retaining trees – which provide habitat or food – are maintained or installed for wildlife.

It's clear that David and Bambi’s collaborative conservation efforts have taken root. Just as their forestland has grown, so has their impact.

ACCOLADES

“David and Bambi are thoughtful, giving and bold people who have taken great care of their beautiful forestlands over the course of decades,” said Robert Perschel, Executive Director of the New England Forestry Foundation. “They have also put their woods to work to benefit the wider world, from managing their forests to increase carbon storage and benefit wildlife and biodiversity, to managing for sustainable wood production and recreation. And then, of course, there are all of the ways David and Bambi made local communities feel welcome in their woods.”

“These award recipients are examples of how Aldo Leopold’s land ethic is alive and well today. Their dedication to conservation shows how individuals can improve the health of the land while producing food and fiber,” said Kevin McAleese, Sand County Foundation President and CEO.

“As the national sponsor for Sand County Foundation’s Leopold Conservation Award, American Farmland Trust celebrates the hard work and dedication of David Moskovitz and Bambi Jones,” said John Piotti, AFT President and CEO. “At AFT we believe that exemplary conservation involves the land itself, the practices employed on the land, and the people who steward it. This award recognizes the integral role of all three.”

The New England Leopold Conservation Award is made possible through the generous support of American Farmland Trust, New England Forestry Foundation, Sand County Foundation, Farm Credit East, David and Ann Ingram, LandVest, Maine Farmland Trust, Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, and the Yale School of the Environment.

For more information on the award, visit www.leopoldconservationaward.org.