The Nature Conservancy in Vermont - Campaign Statement Page 2

Our Vision for Success

“With this campaign, we hope to connect the area’s existing conservation ownerships into something larger and more meaningful, secure a network
of hiking trails, and help protect this amazing landscape for the future.”

– Bob Klein,
Executive Director, Vermont chapter of The Nature Conservancy.

The Equinox Highlands

• An area of lush forests around Mt. Equinox and Mother Myrick where spring wildflowers abound
and wide-ranging mammals like bobcat, black bear, and fisher find the extensive habitat they need.

• Home to more than twenty species of rare plants and two species of globally rare bats.

• A source of fresh drinking water
for the residents of Manchester.

• Enjoyed by hikers and nature lovers who use the area’s many trails.

Threatened Forests

• Increased development in the area is encroaching on surrounding forests.

• The spread of invasive exotic species could alter forest structure.

• Shifting climate patterns due to global climate change will make large connected areas of forest
increasingly important to give species the best chance to adapt and migrate as needed.

THE PLACE

Rich Forests

Some of the finest and most extensive rich northern hardwood forests of New England grow in the Equinox Highlands. Called “rich” because of the moist, fertile soil in which they grow, these forests are dominated by sugar maple and abound in a diversity of wildflowers and many rare and threatened understory plants. The Highlands make up one of the few places in the Northeast where old growth forest has a good chance of firmly reestablishing itself.

Life-Sustaining Forests

Wide-ranging mammals such as bobcat, black bear, and fisher need thousands of acres of connected habitat like the extensive forests in and around the Highlands to thrive. Other mammals like moose, grey fox, flying squirrel, short-tailed weasel, masked shrew, and the federally endangered Indiana bat live here too. There are also more than 40 bird species, including the scarlet tanager, black-and-white warbler, and rose-breasted grosbeak, and a high diversity of amphibians.

Fresh Water

Rainwater and snowmelt percolate down through the weathered marble and limestone bedrock on the slopes of Mt. Equinox, filtering through an underground system of aquifers and streams that supplies fresh drinking water for Manchester and replenishes the Batten Kill River, famous for its populations of wild brown and brook trout.

Threatened Forests

Without protection, the health and stability of the forests of the Highlands could easily erode. Development pressure is increasing, and growing populations of invasive exotic species such as honeysuckle, garlic mustard, and buckthorn are out-competing native species. Shifting climate patterns due to global climate change will make large connected areas of habitat increasingly important to give species the best chance to adapt and migrate as needed.

A History of Conservation Success

The Nature Conservancy has been working in the Equinox Highlands for two decades. We own and manage more than 1,800 acres here and have worked in partnership with many other groups who together have protected an additional 3,500 acres. We have laid the groundwork for the conservation of a cohesive network of protected forest that is a healthy mosaic of natural area and working forest.

A Place for People Too

People have been drawn to the natural beauty of the Equinox Highlands for centuries, and many popular trails in the region allow visitors and residents alike to enjoy outdoor activities like hiking, birding, and nature photography. The Conservancy is working to improve this network of trails and secure important trail links. We are committed to conserving land that is open to the public and ensuring that people can continue to enjoy the beautiful forests of the Highlands long into the future.

Global Context

In a world where deforestation contributes to global climate change and habitat for forest-dwelling birds is disappearing, healthy Vermont forests are increasingly relevant at an international scale. And addressing conservation issues in places like Mexico and Central America, where deforestation rates are high, is crucial to the survival of migratory species that spend their summers in Vermont, but overwinter in Latin America.

Campaign Statement: The Overview / The Place / The Plan

Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Oak Log Cover Design: The Laughing Bear Associates; Cover Photo © Bob Klein/The Nature Conservancy (Equinox Highlands).