Section of the Long Trail Permanently Protected

Posted by Jeff on Oct 6, 2020 @ 7:14 am in Conservation | 0 comments | Last modified: October 5, 2020

The Trust for Public Land, Green Mountain Club and the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation (FPR), announced the protection of Codding Hollow, adding 160.7 acres to Long Trail State Forest in Johnson and Waterville, Vermont.

The newly protected property includes one of the last unprotected sections of the Long Trail, the oldest long-distance hiking trail in the United States. Approximately 200,000 people use the Long Trail each year, and it is recognized by the Vermont General Assembly as a “unique, historic and irreplaceable resource, whose protection is of great benefit to the people of the State of Vermont.” Six miles of the trail remain unprotected and the partners are working with willing landowners to protect these final miles.

“The protection of 160.7 acres in Johnson and Waterville is a conservation success we have been working towards for the past thirty years,” reflects Mike DeBonis, Green Mountain Club’s Executive Director. “It adds to the corridor of conserved lands that make the Long Trail possible and give it the ‘footpath in the wilderness’ experience for which GMC has always managed the trail.”

As an addition to Long Trail State Forest, the land will be owned and managed by the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation to promote diverse public access opportunities, sustainable forest management, high-quality wildlife habitat, and clean water, as well as the protection of natural, historical and cultural resources.

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