By Olivia Lukacic

All over the country, but certainly pronounced in Vermont, people love to get outside and use nature as their playground. Non-profit and non-government organizations are often leaders in breaking trail, literally, to get all sorts of people outside.

A huge part of people being able to recreate is getting the space to do so. Vermont Land Trust is a great example of this. A land trust essentially buys land and puts all sorts of easements on it, for example a conservation easement, that protects it indefinitely.

Vermont Land Trust a few years back bought the area that is the Bolton Valley Ski Area and then conveyed it to the Vermont Department of Forests Parks and Recreation. This area totals 1,144 acres of high elevation land that holds over 90 kilometers of trails- perfect for cross-country skiing in the winter and for hiking or bird watching in the warmer seasons.

Skiers using the new trails! http://www.vlt.org/images/0_Projects_A_L/bolton_annsheri.jpg

What could be considered the most important aspect of this purchase is its location. This land, now open to the public, is extremely accessible. The land and trail systems are all within 30 miles of almost half the population of the entire state.

It is so important for communities to have access to wild lands such as these. For people to be living in more urban areas, and even those that live in rural communities, to be able to quickly and easily get to their own little piece of wilderness is huge. It allows people to connect to the land, to care about the land and also the others that use it.

Read more about Vermont Land Trust’s purchase of this land!

http://www.vlt.org/news-publications/publications-archive/archived-articles/annualreport-bolton