Vermont Land Trust - Conservation Projects with Recreation Focus

VLT’s 2nd Smallest Easement Protects Trail

VLT Conservation Projects with a Recreation Focus

Collaboration Saves Stunning Parcel Next to Mt. Mansfield State Forest
Along the northwestern flanks of Vermont’s highest mountain, just a few miles from the state’s largest population base, lies a property of stunning beauty. People who hike or ski along a logging road into the 1,200-acre property in Underhill are rewarded with a pristine view of Mt. Mansfield’s highest point, the Chin. This is one of the few places where it is still possible to glimpse the mountain’s nearly "original" form, without communication towers, buildings, toll roads and ski slopes. The parcel is also highly visible from the Long Trail.

Formerly owned by Richard Villeneuve, this property is now protected and in public ownership.

VLT was approached by the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation (FPR) after the property was placed on the market. Its location next to Mt. Mansfield State Forest, its good access and interior road system, and its closeness to greater Burlington created a potential for development that posed a real threat to this property and to the overall integrity of Mt. Mansfield.

Working together, VLT and FPR secured funding from a variety of sources, including the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board (VHCB), the Legislative Appropriation for Long Trail Protection Fund, the Freeman Foundation and an anonymous donor. The state now owns the parcel and will manage it as an addition to the Mt. Mansfield Forest. A conservation easement is co-held by VLT and VHCB.

"When the state acquires land of this nature, we are responding to a growing need for open space close to Vermont’s largest population base," said Mike Fraysier, an FPR land administration specialist. "The state has long had a strong interest in maintaining the integrity of Mt. Mansfield. In addition, there are increasing demands from the public for more easily accessible lower-elevation trails. This property addresses all these important needs, and affords spectacular views of our highest mountain with minimal effort."

With an existing gravel road and a series of logging roads, the property is well-suited for the creation of recreation trails, and offers terrific access for a wide variety of outdoor pursuits -- from hiking and cross-country skiing to deer and bear hunting. There are excellent opportunities for connecting the Villeneuve property to the Mt. Mansfield trail system.

The tract is in the transition zone between the fragile upper elevations of Mt. Mansfield and the lowlands to the west. Its forest stands are generally diverse and provide productive wildlife habitat. The property is within the mapped black bear production range. Previous logging activity has created some open areas that add to this diversity and enhance its wildlife values.

The forest resource remains diverse, healthy and reasonably well-stocked. Most mature timber has been harvested, but almost half the property has a good young stand of hardwoods. An important goal of this project is to manage the forest in a sustainable and long-term manner that complements the property’s recreational, scenic and ecological values.

VLT’s Second Smallest Easement Protects Trail
Two years after the protection of the Sparrow Farm in East Montpelier, VLT continues to protect other lands related to the trail corridor that crosses the farm and connects to the Montpelier recreation fields. Stephan and Linn Syz recently donated eight-tenths of an acre to the City of Montpelier, as an addition to the adjacent North Branch Park owned by the City. The piece located on the corner of the Syz’s property for which VLT holds an easement, is crossed by the trail. In 1996 the Syz family conserved their 124-acre property in Sharon.

Undeveloped Sandy Beach on Lake Champlain Conserved
VLT assisted the Lake Champlain Land Trust and Colchester Land Trust in the conservation of the 47-acre Rosetti Natural Area in Colchester. This significant property contains more than 1,200 feet of beautiful sandy beach, one of the few remaining on Lake Champlain, and important wetlands supporting two rare species, beach heather and black gum. In a single closing, the property was purchased by the Colchester Land Trust, conserved through a conservation easement, and transferred to the Town of Colchester. The natural area will be open to the general public as a regional resource. A parking lot and eco-sensitive boardwalk will be built across the wetlands to provide access to the beach, and the site will contain interpretive trails for use as an educational resource for school children and nature lovers.

These links provide other information about VLT's community conservation program:

The following links provide information for you, if you are interested in conserving land that is not a community project: