Green Mountain Conservancy to Add 626 Acres to Deer Run Nature Preserve
The Green Mountain Conservancy has signed a Purchase and Sale Agreement to acquire and conserve 636 acres of wild land in Newfane and Brookline. This land abuts the first 287 acres conserved as part of the Deer Run Nature Preserve in Dummerston and Brookline.
These 626-acres of forestland and ridgeline comprise the southern terminus of the Putney Mountain Ridge, contiguous to 287 acres the GMC has already conserved. The Phase II property rises from 360 feet above sea level at the West River shoreline to 1,460 feet at its highest point. The terrain varies from the flat fields to steep slopes, plateaus and overlooks.
The Vermont Conservation Design (VCD) has identified this property as a Highest Priority Forest Block; as having Highest Priority Surface Water and Riparian Areas; as containing Highest Priority Rare Physical Landscapes and Land Types; and as a Priority Forest Connectivity Block. Conservation will protect this property in perpetuity.
Significant Features
The significant features of this parcel include: 2.5 miles of undeveloped frontage on the West River; glorious views from the Route 30 corridor and from the highest elevations down the West River Valley; topographic benches left by glaciation and flooding events; cliffs created by uplift and continental collisions eons ago; a dramatic and active landslide area; numerous rich forest sites, including a cove containing shagbark hickories (which provide summer shelter for the endangered Indiana bat); 185 acres of deer wintering yard; forests of all ages; a working sugar bush; 47 acres of pristine agricultural fields; early successional habitat that provides nesting sites for bird species, including species that have been identified as of Greatest Conservation Need; and corridors for wildlife and species movement, adaptability and resiliency.
Local Generosity
The Mercede family has owned this land since 1995 and has offered it to the Green Mountain Conservancy at 10% below the appraised value. This parcel is one of the few large forested blocks left in this area. Such parcels don’t often come on the market, and rarely at a price affordable for conservation.
Public Information Meeting
The Green Mountain Conservancy will be holding a public information meeting about Phase II of the Deer Run Nature Preserve on Wednesday, December 4 at 7 pm in the Williamsville Hall, Williamsville, Vermont.
The program for December fourth includes a presentation by Green Mountain Board Member Sam Farwell, who will describe the Phase II property; Roger Haydock, another GMC board member, will talk about the geology that formed the land in deep time. Marie Caduto, from the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources will discuss the importance of the land to the West River. Additionally, there will be maps, photographs and time for questions. GMC Board Member Deborah Lee Luskin will facilitate.
The Williamsville Hall is located on Main Street in Williamsville, across from The Eatery and is ADA compliant. Refreshments will be served.
The Green Mountain Conservancy is a non-profit whose mission is to acquire and conserve wilderness lands in southern Vermont. More information can be found at greenmountainconservancy.org, e-mail info@greenmountainconservancy.org or call 802-257-0012.
