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By CHRIS BECHARD
Not only is the Green Mountain Club's Northeast Kingdom Section
a brand new chapter for the club, it’s also an expansion
of the club's geographic relationship with Vermont. After
all, the Long Trail doesn't really go through the three-county
Kingdom (a very short stretch crosses the western edge of
Orleans County). And the mountains in the Kingdom aren't even
part of the Greens, geologically speaking!
But they are great mountains, there are huge state forests
(with trails that could use some support), and most important
of all, the Kingdom includes the 132,000-acre land parcel
still known as the “former Champion Lands.” This
huge, mostly wild landscape is full of moose, migratory birds,
rare bog plants, wonderful vistas, and winding rivers. Through
an innovative purchase process that involved three conservation
groups and the State of Vermont, the lands are now divided
into a federal wildlife refuge (Silvio O. Conte National Wildlife
Refuge), a state one (West Mountain Wildlife Management Area),
and a private timbering company (Essex Timber) whose owner
accepts the conservation easement provisions: sustainable
timber management, protection of biodiversity, and “pedestrian
access” (that's us!).
A quick glance at a map reveals room for a spectacular 40-mile
long-distance trail across these lands. (Maybe we could call
it the Short Trail?) And there will surely be wildlife viewing
locations and interpretive trails established by the state
and federal owners. Nearby Willoughby and Burke state forests
and the Victory Bog, with their established trail networks,
add to this richness.
Getting involved
Northeast Kingdom Section members are already meeting other
trail hikers and supporters as we make plans to participate
in the formation of hiking trails on the former Champion Lands,
as well as maintenance on other Northeast Kingdom trails.
If you would like to join this new adventure, contact us.
There's plenty of trail work ahead, and decades of exploration,
preservation, and enjoyment.
Your participation at our next meeting and in our new section
is most welcome and is vital to the success of the GMC Northeast
Kingdom Section and for the future of nonmotorized trails
in Northeast Vermont. We look forward to seeing you on August
19th!
Special Note: For GMC at-large members wishing to transfer
membership to this new section, or new members wishing to
join, you must do so by the end of August to qualify as founding
members of the new section.
Special thanks to Beth Dugger and Cynthia Barber for their
contributions to this announcement.
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