Kate Wanner, Project Manager with the Trust for Public Land remarked, “This is the most satisfying project I’ve done in the past 10 years, because of how much the people wanted it, and how strong the community support was.”

In 2012, after a salvage helicopter plucked the last of the major chairlifts off Mount Ascutney, it became clear that the once-popular resort was finished as a commercial ski area. At first despairing, then resolved to affect change, residents banded together to lead a revival: conserving land, creating a network of trails, and setting up four seasons of mountain recreation, including a rope tow for community skiing.