Nationally Acclaimed Poet Sells 297 Acres to Nature Conservancy

Helen W. Buckner Preserve Expands to Protect Poultney River, Wetlands and Lizards

West Haven, Vermont—25 January 2006—The Vermont chapter of The Nature Conservancy announced today the acquisition of a 297-acre parcel located in the town of West Haven on the banks of the Poultney River. The land, sold to the Conservancy by Ruth Stone, award winning poet and long-time resident of Vermont, is a critical component of the Helen W. Buckner Memorial Preserve at Bald Mountain.

Ruth Stone, who received the National Book Award in 2002 after decades as a poet, teacher and mentor, eloquently stated, “This [land] is quite simply paradise on the Poultney.” Initially drawn to Vermont by its wild nature, free running water and abundance of trees, Ruth stayed to raise her family in Goshen and still spends time there in her remote farmhouse. Her love of this particular piece of land is credited as the inspiration for the poem, ‘Property Song,’ published as part of the collection, ‘Topography and Other Poems’.

Mary Droege, Director of Ecological Management and Restoration at The Nature Conservancy’s Southern Lake Champlain Valley Program, explained why the Stone parcel is such a significant addition to the preserve.

“Not only is this parcel visually stunning, with rocky cliffs framing the edges of Schoolhouse Marsh, but this one tract of land represents all the lowland and upland natural communities that we are trying to protect in the Southern Lake Champlain Valley landscape.”

The Poultney River, which is home to twelve native mussel species and the threatened Eastern sand darter, borders the parcel for 2/3 of a mile. Along the river seasonal flooding breathes life into two wetland communities; floodplain forests and a spectacular deep emergent marsh. Clayplain forest, a forest community that once covered the entire Champlain Valley, is slowly regenerating in old abandoned fields, and high above there are cliffs, talus slopes, and upland oak forest with a distinctly southern character.

Stewarding the Land

Over the past few years Ruth Stone and The Nature Conservancy have worked in partnership to steward the property and protect the amazing diversity of natural communities. For eight years volunteers have pulled water chestnut from Schoolhouse Marsh, largely eradicating this biannual aquatic weed.
Unauthorized ATV use remains a major threat to the preserve. ATV riders are often unaware of the damage caused by trail erosion and how their vehicles can transport and spread invasive plants into the heart of a natural area.

The Making of a Preserve

Following the discovery of Vermont’s only lizard, the five-lined skink, on the Bald Mountain peninsula more than 20 years ago, The Nature Conservancy has worked to conserve this unique landscape. In 1989 the Galick family, farmers on the peninsula since 1918, agreed to sell 1,500 acres to The Nature Conservancy, and the preserve began to take shape around their historic farmstead. Some of the Galick brothers retained life estate rights in the deal, and Bill Galick remained living on the property until his recent death at age 87.

Heather Potter, Director of the Conservancy’s Southern Lake Champlain Valley Program reflected on the end of an era, brought to a close by Bill’s passing. “From Abenaki lore to the pioneering spirit of the Galick Family and the poetry of Ruth Stone, this land has inspired strong emotions, fierce loyalty and a desire to protect. It is thanks to the commitment of local landowners and the local community that we have been able to achieve so much here in just a few short years. The Nature Conservancy is honored to continue this legacy of conservation.”

Over the last 15 years the preserve has gradually expanded. With the acquisition of the Stone parcel a total of 3,776 acres have now been protected by the Conservancy. Visitors to the preserve have a choice of two trails, the Susan Bacher Memorial Trail (2.5 miles), which ascends through a wonderful variety of forest types including the dry oak hophornbeam forest, and Tim’s Trail (2.8 miles), which gradually climbs the hillside of Austin Hill offering wonderful views of meadows, marsh, the Poultney River and the southern reaches of Lake Champlain. A one mile trail connects the two. The entrance to the preserve is located just off Doig Road in Whitehall NY, about 35 minutes drive from Rutland.

The Nature Conservancy still needs to raise in excess of $200,000 to cover a portion of the land cost and to establish an endowment fund for stewardship of the property. Thanks to an anonymous Vermont donor a challenge fund has been set-up that will match donations of $5,000 or more, effectively doubling the impact of a donor’s gift.

For more information and trail guides, contact The Nature Conservancy’s Southern Lake Champlain Valley Program at (802) 265-8645.