Vermont Land Trust - Federal Forest Legacy Program Funds Two Conservation Projects in Chittenden County Key Wildlife Habitat & Productive Forestland Protected

PRESS RELEASE - April 17, 2008

For more information please contact:
Elise Annes, the Vermont Land Trust (802) 223-5234
Bob Linck, the Vermont Land Trust (802) 434-3079

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Federal Forest Legacy Program Funds Two Conservation Projects in Chittenden County Key Wildlife Habitat & Productive Forestland Protected

An Addition to Mount Mansfield State Forest Protected in Bolton
A three-year effort to protect a large tract of forested land in the heart of the Chittenden County Uplands has been successful. The newly conserved 426-acre parcel lies to the east of Bolton Notch Road and rises to a 2500-foot ridge traversed by the Long Trail. This forestland provides a home for bobcat, moose, and bear. The conservation effort was finalized when the West Bolton Golf Club sold the tract of land as an addition to Mount Mansfield State Forest, the Vermont Land Trust (VLT) and the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, & Recreation announced today.

The transaction represents the first and possibly only State acquisition of land in the Chittenden County Uplands Conservation Project (CCUP)—a cooperative effort involving many local groups and statewide organizations and agencies to conserve the ecological integrity, rural character, and working landscape of the northeastern uplands of Chittenden County. Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy was instrumental in securing $4.2 million in Forest Legacy appropriations to support CCUP and to date, over 4,500 acres have been conserved in the area. Most of the 16 projects have involved the use of conservation easements, legal agreements that will keep the land in private ownership while ensuring the forest and wildlife habitat remains unfragmented and undeveloped.

“I am very pleased to be able to support the conservation efforts of the landowners, and both the local and statewide organizations involved in the Chittenden County Uplands Project. This is another example of how Vermonters are able to use the Forest Legacy program as an effective conservation tool,” Leahy said.

“What makes this latest effort so significant is that the West Bolton Golf Club property straddles Bolton Notch Road and therefore links the expansive wildlife habitat of the State Forest with the Town of Bolton’s Preston Pond property,” said Bob Linck, VLT’s Champlain Valley Regional Director. Preston Pond is a 403-acre tract conserved five years ago with the help of VLT, The Nature Conservancy of Vermont, and a major grant from the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board.

West Bolton Golf Club General Manager Jeff Brown indicated that his family was pleased to be able to work with the State and VLT in selling the land for conservation purposes. “Our family decided several years ago that the Notch property was not essential to the operation of the golf club,” said Jeff. “Still, we wanted it to remain available to hunting, hiking, and snowmobiling. This recent sale allowed us to reach this goal.” With the Long Trail segment and a section of a local VAST trail, the property serves an important role in linking recreational trails in the region.

Forestland in Richmond and Jericho Protected
Three miles to the west, Danny Peet and his three siblings agreed in December to conserve 157 acres in second project funded by the federal Forest Legacy Program. This land in Richmond and Jericho abuts another conserved 1,730 acres that was conserved by Prelco, Inc., a family-held corporation. Danny Peet, Melissa Andersen, Rick Peet, and Jennie Erkson will continue to own the land. And, the forestland will continue to have forest management and provide habitat for important plant and animal species common to the Northern Forest region.

“We are excited to be preserving our forest as part of a more expansive Chittenden Uplands, an incredibly large contiguous forest that exists in the most populous county of the state,” said Danny Peet. “The creatures (plants, animals-all wildlife, and landowners) there are breathing a sigh of relief from the development pressures in Chittenden County.”

Both the West Bolton Golf Club and Peet conservation projects were funded by the Forest Legacy Program (FLP), a federal grant program authored by Senator Leahy and established in 1990 to protect forestlands from conversion to non-forest uses. The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation, working in conjunction with the USDA Forest Service, is the State Lead Agency for Vermont's Forest Legacy Program. The FLP provides funding to further conservation of important forestland properties. The program is entirely voluntary. Landowners who wish to participate may either sell the property as fee simple title (all rights), or only a portion of the property rights and retain ownership of the land. The use of conservation easements allows the land to remain in private ownership and ensures that important public values such as wildlife habitat, natural areas, forest resources, and outdoor recreation opportunities are protected.