Conservancy Adds Protected Land to a Locally Protected Ridgeline Trail and Nature Reserve in Southeastern Vermont
Westminster, Vermont—30 October 2003—The Nature Conservancy of Vermont recently conveyed a 112-acre property located in the towns of Rockingham and Westminster to the Windmill Hill Pinnacle Association, Inc. (WHPA), a group that is working to protect a ridgeline trail and wildlife reserve between Rockingham and Putney.
The property was received as a bequest to The Nature Conservancy from Sarah Ann Martin in memory of her brother Stephen Martin who was killed in WWII. "It’s a beautiful piece of land with a forest that has not been logged in over 70 years," says Jon Binhammer, Director of Land Protection at the Conservancy. "The property contains a portion of the uncommon plant community type known as Dry-Oak Hickory Hophornbeam Forest, a small population of an uncommon fern species, and two vernal pools that are important to amphibians for breeding."
The Windmill Hill Pinnacle Association began its work in 1992 with the intention of acquiring, holding, and making available to the public the Pinnacle, the highest point in Westminster, and a trail leading to it. It sought to place the lands in protection for future generations. Its plans have since expanded to encompass the creation of a trail corridor and nature reserve along the 16-mile Windmill Ridge that extends from Rockingham and Bemis Hill in the north through the Pinnacle and Putney Mountain and on into the town of Dummerston in the south.
"The Martin Estate is an absolutely crucial part of our trail system," says Randolph Major, Board Member and Chairman of the WHPA Trail Committee. "It’s right on the ridge and includes the south peak of Bemis Hill, the most northerly outcrop along the Windmill Hill ridgeline." WHPA will begin extending their trail through the Martin property next spring. "We’re also considering creating a self-guided nature trail in it because of the variety of topographies and plant communities present," says Major.
From now on, protection and stewardship of the Martin Estate will be carried out by the Windmill Hill Pinnacle Association, Inc. and the Vermont Land Trust, which will hold a conservation easement on the land.
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