MOUNT HOLLY, Vt. – The Mount Holly Conservation Trust (MHCT) recently purchased the 33.5-acre “Maple Crossing” tract, strategically located between the state’s Awasos Wildlife Management Area and Okemo State Forest land abutting Route 100 South in Weston. MHCT was aided in its purchase of this parcel by a generous grant from The Nature Conservancy’s Vermont Biodiversity Protection Fund.
MHCT President Brigid Sullivan said, “We’re especially excited by the acquisition of Maple Crossing because it forms a vital bridge between already conserved public lands, securing public access to open space for disbursed, low-impact, wildlife-based recreation, including birding, hiking, hunting, and angling. This parcel is especially significant because it contains approximately 2,000 feet of headwater confluence of three tributaries to the West River, which will benefit brook trout in the streams on the parcel and beyond.”
“We are pleased to support this important conservation project,” said The Nature Conservancy in Vermont State Director Eve Frankel. “In addition to protecting critical habitat and facilitating safe wildlife passage, this land provides the local community with more recreation opportunities and improves flood resilience in the area.”
To formally complete the tie between the Awasos Wildlife Management Area and the Okemo State Forest, MHCT plans to convey the Maple Crossing tract to the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) later this year. Maple Crossing includes forested seeps used by wildlife such as bobcats, fishers, turkeys, moose, and red-backed salamanders. “We are thrilled to once again be working with the Mount Holly Conservation Trust to conserve more of this critical wildlife corridor,” says Will Duane, land acquisition coordinator for the Department of Fish and Wildlife. “DFW and the MHCT have partnered on three conservation projects which began with the creation of Awasos WMA in 2022. Partnerships between state and local nonprofit partners are fantastic examples of how collaboration can lead to meaningful success.”
MHCT is a nonprofit, volunteer, tax-exempt charitable organization, the mission of which is to preserve the beauty and character of the Mount Holly area through the conservation of land, environment, and natural resources that are valued by the community. For further information, please visit www.mounthollyconservationtrust.org.