HARDWICK – The Buffalo Mountain Town Forest Steering Committee (BMTFSC) met four times in June to organize, establish priorities, tour the proposed town forest site on Buffalo Mountain, develop a survey and a plan for distributing it.
map courtesy Buffalo Mountain Town Forest Steering Committee
At the committee’s second meeting on June 9, the survey was determined to be a high priority to develop a 10-year-plan. Their third meeting was a tour of the proposed town forest property on June 14, and the survey was approved at the fourth meeting, June 23.
The survey identifies four use areas for the property, asking respondents to prioritize recreation, education and land use demonstration projects, natural resources and habitat and finally, timber and forest products.
Features, activities, buildings and facilities, events, programs, funding and information about the person responding fill out the remaining pages of the survey.
In a Front Porch Forum post on June 26, committee member Leif Goldberg wrote, “The future of the town forest will be determined by the community. In coming years, you could find yourself trail running, skiing or hunting on Buffalo Mountain. Maybe you want to take your family for a picnic overlooking the Lamoille River or attend a birding walk. Whatever your vision for the forest, we want to hear from you.”
Goldberg explained everyone may fill out the survey, “including children and non-Hardwick residents. We want to hear from everyone who is invested in the future of Buffalo Mountain.”
The survey is at forms.gle/AnZVBnH7PWrSXKZc8, with paper copies available at the Jeudevine Memorial Library and Hardwick Town Clerk’s office. The deadline to complete the survey is Monday, July 13.
Hannah Redmon, the Trust for Public Land (TPL) project manager, and an advisor to the committee, updated them at the June 9 meeting, saying $800,000 had been raised via fundraising by Northern Rivers Land Trust and TPL.
A required ecological assessment to be done by L.E. Environmental was just getting started, she said.
A forest management plan is currently underway with Emily Sayers who will be available until late fall to coordinate with the steering committee, note minutes of that June 9 meeting.
A tour of the proposed town forest site on Sunday, June 14, was joined by members Brendan Buckley, Tyler Buswell, Paul Cillo, Renaud Demers, Lucian Avery, Leif Goldberg, Joe Nudell, James Kelley and Julie Sullivan, along with advisors Redmon and Jack Travelstead with Northern Rivers Land Trust and community members Rachel Kane, Maureen Demers and Helen Beattie.
A report of the visit indicates the group explored several areas of the property, first hiking in from Atkins Field and returning.
They then drove to the intersection of Wright Farm Road and Vt. Rte. 15 and parked. They walked into the floodplain along the river and discussed creating a mowed trail to offer river access and the potential for a future riverbank clean-up project.
They then hiked up Wright Farm Road toward an old orchard on the upper slopes of the property. Several people turned back past the gate to the old orchard and the remaining group continued to the property’s southern border, turned east, and hiked back through the old orchard.
In the orchard, the group noted a partial view to the north and looked for an old cellar hole.
From the orchard, attendees made their way back to their cars.
The committee has established regular meeting times twice a month on the second and fourth Tuesdays at 6 p.m. in the Parker Ladd Room at the Jeudevine Memorial Library.
Members of the committee are Lucian Avery, Brendan Buckley, Tyler Buswell, Paul Cillo, Renaud Demers, Andrew Gilbert, Leif Goldberg, Danny Hale, James Kelley, Dylan Laflame, Marie La’Pre Grabon, Joe Nuddell, Margie Prevot, Eric Remick, Sue Rivard and Julie Sullivan.
Paul Fixx is editor of The Hardwick Gazette and lives in Hardwick.
