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.

Act 181: The Law Dividing Vermont’s Landscape

Must watch film produced & published by Morgan Gold - April 25th


This is a film about Act 181, the Land Use Review Board, the draft Tier 3 map that triggered a public uproar in the Northeast Kingdom—and underneath all of that, a much older question. Who gets to decide what your land can be?


Together, we can make a difference.

In this video, produced by Kori Feener, farmer and neighbor Neil Ryan discusses how Act 181 will fracture rural Vermont families.


Vermonters came together to demand a repeal of Act 181.


In April 2026, the Vermont legislature committed to repealing the road rule and Tier 3 designations.


Together, we can make a difference.

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.

LEARN MORE

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.

READ STORIES

CALENDAR

See what’s happening in your area and beyond. Join neighbors, stay informed, and take part in the conversation.

VIEW CALENDAR

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.

GET INVOLVED
RURAL VERMONT RISING

OUR VOICES

April 25, 2026
A closer look at Vermont’s Act 181 and the backlash it sparked. From farmers to homesteaders, voices across the state weigh in on land use, Tier 3 maps, and the deeper question of who controls private land.
April 19, 2026
CLICK THIS link to VIEW all letters from town selectboards
April 19, 2026
By Neil Ryan | Substack Article Two legislative updates from a sitting member of the House Committee on Environment contain invented facts and a conspiracy theory that smears the Land Use Review Board and thousands of Vermonters.
April 17, 2026
Op-ed by Neil Ryan as published in VT Digger | Latest News
April 14, 2026
4/14 House Committee on Environment Chair, Amy Sheldon, first suggests repeal of Tier 3 & The Road Rule. WATCH (video)
April 9, 2026
Here's a cautionary tale from Todd Heyman of Hartland who owns a 5-cabin farm stay as a way to diversify their farming and relieve some of the economic pressure. Tens of thousands of dollars in environmental studies, attorney fees, architects, etc. And jurisdictional oversight is FOREVER tied to that parcel. He tried to build a home for his widowed, blind mother on his land. Nightmare scenario. That is what tier 3 + Road Rule will deliver IF allowed to be implemented as written. The people who can least afford the added costs and burden of more red tape get saddled with it. (text intro courtesy of Michelle Masa).
READ MORE STORIES, LETTERS & ARTICLES
BEN FALK QUOTE

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.

READ MORE STORIES
BEN FALK QUOTE

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!