Year in Review: 2009

2009 was a busy year at the Lake Champlain Land Trust.  While the economy may have slowed down, we kept up our tremendous pace conserving two great new properties, building and improving trails, hosting educational hikes, and actively pursuing potential new projects for the future.  To highlight a few of our successes in 2009, we share with you the photo journal below.   We hope you will join us in conserving the lakeshore and natural areas of Lake Champlain for future generations by becoming a supporting member. 

Saving the Lake Champlain Sandplain Forest

The Lake Champlain Land Trust recently saved one of the most important natural areas in Vermont-a 78-acre forested block containing five significant natural communities located in Colchester, Vermont.

The most notable, and one of the Vermont's most threatened natural communities, is the Pine-Oak-Heath Sandplain Forest. This outstanding section of Sandplain Forest covers approximately 25 acres. The preservation of this important property was made possible by the landowner, Dr. Phillip Howard, who generously donated a conservation easement on the land he has owned and stewarded so carefully over the last 40 years.

Mill River Falls Natural Area Improvements!

If you haven't visited Mill River recently, now is a great time to go. Many improvements have been made to the natural area in the past year and a half, making it more accessible and user friendly.

In the fall of 2008 a small four car parking lot was constructed by the Town of Georgia to limit roadside parking and address associated safety concerns. The following spring, as Mill River was running strong with melt waters,the Lake Champlain Land Trust met Gary Sawyer from the Vermont Forests, Parks, and Recreation and Ken Minck of the Georgia Conservation Commission in the field to plan a new pedestrian trail that would take visitors directly to the falls from the parking lot. Since then a new trail has been cut and herd paths have been brushed in creating better access to the falls while minimizing disturbance on the forest and riverbanks.

 Bald Mountain Nature Preserve Protected!

Earlier this year the Lake Champlain Land Trust accepted a donated Forever Wild Conservation Easement on 1,369 acres in West Haven, Vermont.  The conservation easement includes nearly 3,500 feet of Lake Champlain shoreline along an area referred to as the "Drowned Lands"- an area ideal for canoeing, kayaking, and fishing.

The Bald Mountain Nature Preserve is one of the most important terrestrial biodiversity sites along Lake Champlain...

Eagle Mountain Natural Area Podcast

As announced in our most recent newsletter, thanks to the generosity and expertise of Shadow Productions we will soon have podcasts available for downloading that describe the landscape of the Eagle Mountain Natural Area.  In the meantime, you can receive a copy of the podcast via email by contacting .

A Kayaker's Guide to Lake Champlain
Exploring the New York, Vermont and Quebec Shores

The Lake Champlain Land Trust is proud to congratulate Cathy Frank and Margy Holden on publishing the amazing must-have book – “A Kayaker’s Guide to Lake Champlain. Exploring the New York, Vermont and Quebec Shores”. It was through the encouragement of the former Executive Director of the Lake Champlain Land Trust that Margy and Cathy decided to write a book about their journey