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Family Conserves 1,730 Acres of Forestland in Chittenden County The State of Vermont, utilizing funding from the federal Forest Legacy Program, purchased a conservation and public access easement from Prelco, Inc., a family-held corporation, the Vermont Land Trust announced today. Much of the 1,730 acres of forestland that stretch out over parts of the towns of Richmond, Jericho and Bolton were purchased and owned by William and Mildred Preston, the founders of the former F. J. Preston & Son Jewelry store in Burlington. The balance of the land was purchased by Prelco, Inc., William’s and Mildred’s descendants and they now own and manage the land. The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation and the Vermont Land Trust (VLT) worked together to help the landowners access funding from the Forest Legacy Program, established by Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy in 1990. Jonathan Wood, Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation explained that “the use of the Forest Legacy program helps important forest lands stay in private ownership and management while protecting public access and values.” Wright Preston was president of Prelco, Inc. in 2000 when VLT was first contacted about the possibility of conserving this property and he described his family’s acquisition of the land: his grandparents began buying abandoned farmland in 1943 with the goal of protecting Richmond Pond and the Snipe Island Brook watershed. The Prelco, Inc. property that exists today represents the purchase of 16 parcels over a 34-year period. Over the decades fields reverted to forest and a strong stewardship ethic was established and passed down through the generations. Reflecting on the conservation transaction, Wright said, “I’m quite sure that if this forestland hadn’t been conserved it would have been sold for development in the next two to five years. What a shame that would have been.” Then he added, “The conservation of this forestland is just what my grandparents, William and Mildred, would have wanted. I think the fact that they were such good stewards of this land weighed in on my family’s decision to conserve the land versus selling it for residential development.” Features of the conserved land include exceptionally well-managed forestland with excellent species composition and productive soils; the 18 acre Richmond Pond; a significant portion of the Snipe Island Brook watershed; and a well-developed internal road system that not only provides access for forest management, but also represents excellent opportunities for pedestrian public access activities. The land also has numerous cultural features including stonewalls, foundations and water works, and it’s associated wetlands and Richmond Pond provide important plant and animal habitat common to the Northern Forest region. Prelco, Inc. will continue to own and manage the land the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation will hold the conservation easement in perpetuity, ensuring that future development does not take place. “Family ownership of such a considerable parcel can become complicated with time and as the number of heirs increase and interests diverge. Returns from development are so much higher than the revenue that can be expected from responsible management of timberland,” said Carl Powden, VLT’s Forest Projects Director. Carl added that, “this is an incredibly large parcel for this region. Development would have meant a tremendous loss not only for area residents but also for the state and the wildlife that depend upon these large, undeveloped forestland tracts.” “This is precisely the type of conservation project I had in mind when I introduced legislation to set up the Forest Legacy Program in the 1990s, and when I included over $4 million specifically for the Chittenden County Uplands conservation initiative in 2004 and 2005 federal appropriations bills,” Senator Leahy said. The conservation of the Prelco parcel is a significant step forward for a broader effort known as the Chittenden County Uplands Conservation Project (CCUCP). CCUCP is an initiative to conserve productive timberland and ecologically-significant areas linking Mount Mansfield State Forest and Camel’s Hump State Park. Conservation of these undeveloped lands will protect wildlife habitat in a rapidly developing region. People travel these lands as well, whether on walks associated with hunting or snowshoeing or utilizing significant portions of established trail systems such as the Long Trail and the Catamount Trail. In addition to the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation and Vermont Land Trust, the collaborative conservation effort, involving roughly a 10,000 acre area, includes a broad array of organizations: the Bolton Conservation Commission, the Catamount Trail Association, the Duxbury Land Trust, the Green Mountain Club, the Jericho-Underhill Land Trust, Keeping Track, Inc., The Nature Conservancy and the Richmond Land Trust. To date, 12 parcels of land encompassing 3921 acres have been conserved as part of the CCUCP effort and a number of other parcels are being evaluated for conservation – all within 20 miles of Vermont’s largest city. | |||
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