Beth Humstone spoke about large lot zoning as method of keeping density low enough to permit, for the most part, the environment to remain intact. But she also emphatically cautioned that done without caveats it can backfire by forcing residential units yet deeper into the woods. She decribed large-lot zoning as those with a 25 acre minimum. She stated that this was the largest minimum the state permitted.
It is worth noting that the bar is still being raised. Lyme, New Hampshire zoned a portion of their town for a fifty acre minimum. It was ultimately upheld in their state supreme court.
The caveats or restrictions that can be attached, as Beth stated, include banning water and sewer extensions or paving in such an area. I don't know why it isn't possible to go even further and designate that the town is not obligated or intending such roads to be maintained at higher than a Class 4(Trail) level. That also precludes plowing. I don't believe it allows for much in the way of maintenance either.
I can envision such large-lot zoning in the northwest corner of the town where the population is already the thinnest, the terrain rough and heavily wooded. Conceivably 100 acre zoning would be appropriate there. The purpose is, clearly, to preserve that large area for several important reasons. Primarily it would be to preserve the fullest ecological system possible. One thing we know is that at some point we can lose enough species whereby a chain reaction and human life, if not much other life, cannot be supported. We have already learned that a species is irretrievably on its way to extinction long before the last specimen is dead. What we do not know is how many species we have lost already, how many are at that point of no return, how close other species are to that point, and how many or which ones will put the human species in dire jeopardy. One oversimplified example: With too few farms or general development there may not be enough clover to sustain a sufficient bee population which in turn could kill the apple industry since the bees pollinate the apple blossoms.
Besides for maintaining ecosystems we need to insure that we have enough wood to maintain all the structures we have as well as building new. We will also soon have a High School heated by wood chips and it would be wise to have our own perpetual supply of such wood. I think it's fair to say the future of oil is getting shakier by the day. Even if the cost of obtaining doesn't itself become prohibitive the problems with air pollution might preclude its use. I would imagine that we can put aside enough wooded land that, with proper management, could at least provide chips to fuel all the schools and other municipal buildings. Maybe even more.
It also seems prudent to expand and protect our water shed. Recently precipitation has been sufficient to keep our reservoirs pretty full, as they are right now. But a few years back things were dry enough to run the reserves dangerously low. Since then water use has continued to increase. A clear danger is an ever more distorted climate. As global warming continues to worsen weather patterns become increasingly unpredictable.
A big chunk of land is a pretty nice place for limited recreational activities as well. It's nice to be able to hike thru a good bit of country without crossing a road. A single sizable piece of land (say 20,000 acres, which in our case would encompass land in surrounding towns) might strengthen a lot of species that, once prolific, have become very rare.
As Beth pointed out, this kind of planning ultimately comes down to political will. The people of Brattleboro and the region have to want to take action to protect the future. Americans are not accustomed to being limited. Not only have our abundant resources (and the powerful military it supports) enabled us to consume in extraordinary and ever increasing amounts but it has also enabled us to forgo serious long range planning. With so much wealth it was easy to convince ourselves that whatever problems we might be creating today could be corrected tomorrow. There would be plenty of money to throw at it. And money would fix anything. Planning seems to be, in some way, a statement of one's faith in oneself. That we can get out of the rat race (the physically and psychicly debilitating obsession and struggle to be totally self-sufficient), off the treadmill, and lead far better and happier lives than we do now.