The town of Monkton has purchased a 450-acre parcel of forested land that will become the community's first-ever town forest.
The property was conserved through a partnership with Vermont Land Trust, and will remain open to the public and protected from development in perpetuity.
"The land is very well-suited for a town forest," said Bob Heiser, who worked on the project for Vermont Land Trust.
Heiser said the property has gentle terrain near some natural public access points as well as natural features that make it a great place to hike or walk, like extensive beaver wetlands and ponds. However, it also includes some wild and rugged terrain that makes for excellent wildlife habitat.
"That includes miles of headwater streams and numerous vernal pools and some forest types that are uncommon in Vermont," he said. "So the collection of those features really made it attractive to the town as a potential town forest."
It also abuts 1,000 acres of land, conserved by the Watershed Center in Bristol, that is also open to the public for recreation.
The town purchased the property from Bristol-based lumber and forestry business A. Johnson Company. The parcel sits at the southern end of Monkton, along the town line with Bristol. A. Johnson previously harvested hardwoods on the land for furniture and flooring, and operated a sawmill in Bristol for many decades.
Prior to being managed for timber, the property hosted a collection of small sheep farms and was mined for kaolin clay, a material used to make crockery and as a filler in paper, as well as for some medicinal uses.
In a statement, Ken Johnson and Bill Sayre of A. Johnson Co. said the property supplied iron ore for the ships that defeated the British Royal Navy in the Battle of Lake Champlain during the War of 1812.
Bob Heiser says the property is rated as a priority parcel for conservation on state maps.
Monkton's town plan has called for creating a town forest since 2014, and the town spent roughly two-and-a-half years looking for a parcel to purchase before arriving at this one, said Callie Brynn, who chairs the Town Forest Committee.
"It wasn't for sale," Brynn said of the A. Johnson Company parcel, "but we reached out to them just to see if they'd be interested in considering that. And we just kind of took our time with it."
The $1.1 million acquisition was funded by a combination of grants from the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, the U.S. Forest Service's Community Forest and Open Space Program, town fund, and private donations from town residents as well as North Country Federal Credit Union.
Brynn said the town conducted a survey in recent months and led a public engagement process to gather input from Monkton residents about how the land should be managed.
The Town Forest Committee will use that feedback to draft a management plan for the area, which they'll bring back to the public before presenting a final plan to the select board for a vote in late March.
Brynn says the survey revealed a tension — that people are very concerned that the land be managed in a way that supports biodiversity and wildlife, but that the community also be able to recreate there.
"It's kind of finding that balance of how do we respect the sensitive places but still be able to get outdoors and get exercise and connect with other people?" she said.
There will be future opportunities for Monkton residents to weigh in on what sort of recreation is allowed at the parcel.
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