Bambi Jones (left) and David “Tracy” Moskovitz stand in front of a barn at Hidden Valley Farm in Whitefield the afternoon of Monday, Sept. 9. Hidden Valley Farm is one of four finalists for the 2024 New England Leopold Conservation Award, which celebrates achievement in conservation by agricultural landowners. (Piper Pavelich photo)
Hidden Valley Farm, of Whitefield, was named one of four finalists for the New England Leopold Conservation Award.
The Sand County Foundation, a nonprofit organization that presents the award, announced the four finalists in a press release on Aug. 12.
Bambi Jones and David “Tracy” Moskovitz, owners of Hidden Valley Farm in Whitefield, have dedicated more than 45 years of their lives to the conservation and preservation of Maine land.
The Leopold Conservation Award program celebrates achievement in voluntary conservation by agricultural landowners, according to the Sand County Foundation’s website. Named in honor of conservationist Aldo Leopold, the award recognizes landowners who inspire others with their dedication to environmental improvement.
“To be recognized for (the award), you need to do great conservation work for a long time, with a major component of outreach, and community building, and education, and those kinds of things,” said Moskovitz. “Those kinds of things are things we do always.”
The pair said they are community and environmentally focused.
The work they have done on their land over the four decades they have owned it includes creating the Hidden Valley Nature Center, of Jefferson, the couple’s “pride and joy,” according to Jones, as well as replacing stream crossings to enhance organism passage and protecting small wetlands.
“Everyone was so pleased, and so grateful, and wanted to help, so that’s how it became way bigger than just us,” Jones said of the center’s creation. “People had ideas and contributions … It was sort of an organic growth, but it was definitely community influenced.”
The Hidden Valley Nature Center was established in 2009 as a nonprofit educational organization. The center has over 1,000 acres of protected land with campsites and miles of trails. Nature and forestry programs have been offered to thousands of participants over the center’s 15 years in operation.
Midcoast Conservancy took ownership of the center and land in 2016. According to Midcoast Conservancy’s website, the center’s management is designed to enhance the value of timber, wildlife habitat, water quality, and recreation.
Jones and Moskovitz established Hidden Valley Farm in 1978, becoming well known in the area for their organic vegetables and variety of forest products, such as fire wood and lumber for building projects.
Over the years, the couple acquired over 2,000 acres of land that spans across three towns: Alna, Jefferson, and Whitefield.
Jones and Moskovitz said they have been working with local land trusts and conservation organizations for years.
In 2007, the pair, along with five of their neighbors on Hollywood Boulevard, protected 1,000 acres of land in one day with permanent easements with Maine Farmland Trust, an organization that Jones is a founding member of.
“We’ve always had an eye toward increasing the number of people that get engaged with what we do,” said Moskovitz. “We care deeply about the planet, and we care deeply about the community. You put your energy and your resources to work on those things that you have passion about.”
Moskovitz said they were encouraged to apply for the conservation award by the New England Forestry Foundation, an organization that he sits on the board of.
Jones and Moskovitz said being named a finalist for the award means a lot to them because it’s important to spread the word about what being a good, conservation-minded landowner looks like.
“We hope it causes people to learn about Aldo Leopold and learn about how conservation can improve their lives, their neighbor’s lives, their children’s lives, and everything else,” said Moskovitz.
Jones said she and Moskovitz would not be where they are today without the relationships they have built with local organizations.
Past achievements for the couple include being named the American Tree Farm System’s 2014 Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year for the Northeast Region and Knox-Lincoln Soil and Water Conservation District’s 2007 Cooperator of the Year.
The winner of the 2024 New England Leopold Conservation Award will be announced on Saturday, Oct. 19.
The other three finalists for the award are Harrison’s Homegrown, of Vermont; Sweetland Farm, of Vermont; and The Corse Farm Dairy, of Vermont.
The award is presented by the Sand County Foundation, of Wisconsin, and the New England Forestry Foundation, of Massachusetts, and is sponsored by the American Farmland Trust.
For more information, go to leopoldconservationaward.org.
