Our Land, Our Legacy, Our Voice!
Protecting Vermont's Rural Future
Vermonters are awakening to a pattern in state legislation that threatens the continued viability of rural life in our state. Learn more about what these laws mandate, how they work together to disenfranchise rural people, and what you can do about it.
OUR MISSION
Our mission is to unite Vermonters around the shared goal of protecting our land, our rights, and our way of life. Through education, local action, and collective advocacy, we are working to shape a future Vermont where rural voices matter to policymakers, and we need your help.
Read the Act 181 overview, maps, and policy implications.
JOIN OR START A LOCAL CHAPTER
GET LOCAL
We’re currently working on building out local chapters across Vermont. If you’re interested in joining an existing group — or starting one in your area — please submit your information>>.
We’ll follow up with more details as this develops, both by email and here on the website.
If you have skills that could help support local efforts, please let us know. This might include organizing events, public speaking, writing, outreach, legal or policy knowledge, graphic design, or anything else you feel could be useful.
JOIN A LOCAL CHAPTER
LATEST NEWS (updated 4/25/26)
WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW?
4/25/26 update
Legislative Watch: “Nothing Final Yet”
Summary of a post by Megan Durling
Despite recent claims of victory,
no formal repeal of Act 181’s Tier 3 or Road Rule has been finalized. As of now, S.325 remains in the House Environment Committee and must still pass both chambers (or move through a conference committee) before reaching the governor.
Megan Durling cautions that recent political messaging from both parties may be premature—or strategic. With only weeks left in the session, key elements could still change, and Act 181 is likely being used as a bargaining tool in broader negotiations.
Her core message:
- Nothing is settled yet
- Rural Vermonters should stay alert to shifting proposals
- Watch closely which legislators act on principle vs. party lines
She emphasizes that the outcome could still impact rural communities in other ways, even if Tier 3 and the Road Rule are modified.
Call to action: Stay engaged and
sign-up to join or start a local chapter, and expect to hear from us by the end of next week with more details.
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Act 181: The Law Dividing Vermont’s Landscape
ACT 181 info
Act 181 impacts over 60% of Vermont’s land and the people who live on it. Here’s what it means in plain English, and why so many Vermonters are concerned.
STORIES
Real stories from Vermonters about what it means to live, build, and belong here. Hear how Act 181 could impact everyday lives across the state.
CALENDAR
See what’s happening in your area and beyond. Join neighbors, stay informed, and take part in the conversation.
get involved
This movement is led by Vermonters who care deeply about their land and way of life. Find out how to help, get involved, and stay informed.
RURAL VERMONT RISING
OUR VOICES

As a realtor, my duty if a delay decision with S.325 passes, will be to inform people buying into Vermont, as this will be a material fact. I will be required to share that the land they seek to buy and improve will have serious restrictions - that will make the investment of poor decision. Thereby also making seller clients unable to sell their property.
Beth Harrington McCullough
Vermonter & Realtor
FEATURED STORY (march, 2026)
susan & thomas
I am a registered nurse, and my husband served for over 30 years. We have both dedicated our lives to service, caring for others and contributing to our communities.
I scraped together every dime I had to purchase my land in rural Vermont. This wasn’t a luxury. It was a lifelong goal built on hard work, overtime hours and sacrifice. After meeting my husband, we realized we shared the same passion for the outdoors and for living simply on the land.
Our dog roams freely as she should.
Much of our property includes headwaters, and we take that responsibility very seriously. We are committed to protecting water quality, preserving wildlife habitat, and stewarding the land for future generations.
Today, we cut our own firewood, spend time in the woods in every season, and care deeply about the wildlife and environment around us. We plan to retire on this land and produce maple syrup, continuing Vermont’s agricultural traditions.
Policies like Act 181 risk creating barriers for people like us, not developers, but everyday Vermonters who have worked hard, served their country and communities, and simply want to live responsibly on their own land.
I respectfully ask that policymakers reconsider how this law impacts rural landowners and ensure it does not prevent individuals like us from building a home, supporting small-scale agriculture, and living the Vermont way of life.
This Act 181 is a truly insane piece of legislation. I say this as a life-long dyed in the wool actual environmentalist and ecological land planner of 25 years who's planted 12,500+ trees, has made a career of advancing watershed health and have been working in forest and wild land protection for my entire adult life. This is being flown under "environmental sustainability" as the purported goal but it seems that this can't be it.
WHAT'S HAPPENING
FEATURED EVENTS
COMING SOON!




