It's a big day at Lemon Fair Wildlife Management Area in Bridport and Cornwall. This morning the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife is celebrating the addition of 330 acres to what it calls some of the most productive wildlife habitat in that part of the state.
The additional acreage brings the wildlife management area to a total of 744 acres of wetlands, farm fields and a slow-moving stream. The $325,000 purchase price was paid for, in part, with the proceeds from Vermont Duck Stamps and the new voluntary Vermont Habitat Stamp program. It is the largest land purchase to date using state duck stamp proceeds.
In Vermont, waterfowl hunters are required to purchase a federal migratory waterfowl stamp and a Vermont duck stamp. State duck stamp proceeds contribute to wildlife and wetland conservation in Vermont.
The new Vermont Habitat Stamp is a voluntary purchase that raises funds for the conservation and management of lands throughout Vermont, according to the Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife. The stamp can be purchased along with a Vermont hunting or fishing license, or it can be bought via the department's website.
Other partners in the Lemon Fair land purchase include the U.S.D.A. Natural Resource Conservation Service, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the Vermont Land Trust.
"This major expansion of the Lemon Fair Wildlife Management Area would not have been possible without the help of our many partners in conservation," Vermont Fish & Wildlife Commissioner Louis Porter commented in a press announcement. "We'd especially like to thank all of those Vermonters who pitched in to help contribute to our state's conservation legacy."
