|
|
|||
|
|

This year was a record year not just for land acquisition but in forging stronger partnerships in support of conservation. Public protected lands like Jamaica State Park, Pond Woods Wildlife Management Area and Bomoseen State Park were bolstered by Conservancy purchases of critical in-holdings. Family farms and floodplain forests were saved with the help of organizations like the Charlotte Land Trust, Lewis Creek Association, Trout Unlimited, and Vermont Land Trust.
Along the banks of the West River the granite profile of Black Mountain rises above the town of West Dummerston. Vermonters have been hiking to its peak for decades to enjoy spectacular views. Yet, until the Conservancy’s latest purchase of the 53 acre summit parcel, the trail’s termination point was unprotected. This latest acquisition brings the total protected area to 636.5 acres and secures the mountain’s vantage point for future hikers and wildlife.
In the far reaches of the Northeast Kingdom, a small pond with a rustic boat launch is finally protected from development. Flagg Pond and its associated white cedar swamp with abundant rare plant species is yet another magical place conserved forever.201.
Another piece of the mosaic of protected land in the Otter Creek swamp complex, Bond Island, was protected earlier this year. This ecosystem, comprising of 22,000 acres and 11 distinct natural communities, fills the lowlands of Addison and Rutland Counties and with this latest addition a unique island in the swamp, and over one-fifth of the swamp complex, is now protected..
Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Canopy in the Equinox Higlands © A.Blake Gardner; Rose Pogonia © TNC).