Trappers Association donated to Brownsville land purchase

One of those donors is the Vermont Trappers Association, which has an interest in seeing the land conserved. The association donated $8,000 to the land trust for the purchase.

The trappers association is a statewide conservation organization with nearly 1,000 members. Every year, it provides conservation camp tuitions for youths, scholarships for new graduates pursuing higher education in conservation fields, and financial support for other conservation programs.

In a press release, the association said the Brownsville purchase is a “perfect mesh with the VTA mission of promoting conservation,” protecting 750 acres of high-quality land that was added to the Putnam State Forest, “adding value for dispersed recreation, ensuring habitat connectivity, and enhancing one of Vermont’s critical wildlife corridors.”

The association reached out to other conservation and sporting groups to make them aware of the conservation opportunity.

The Vermont Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, the Vermont Bearhounds Association, and both the state and Lamoille County chapters of the National Wild Turkey Federation all contributed to the $8,000 gift.

The trappers association said the groups all hold the same conservation values and operate with the same philanthropic adherence to those principles.

“We are all in this together,” said trappers association president Bruce Baroffio.

Chris Bradley, president of Vermont Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, stated, “The federation is excited about this opportunity to support the outdoor community and the conservation goals promoted by this valuable undertaking.”

Brownsville is Stowe Land Trust’s largest purchase — in both acreage and cost — since the organization was founded in 1987.

It joins such large forest tracts as the 10,000 acres of Burt Lumber Co. land transferred to Mount Mansfield and C.C. Putnam State Forests in 1979; the town’s purchase of the 1,000-acre Sterling Forest in 1995; and Stowe Land Trust’s own protection of Cady Hill Forest in 2012.

In acquiring the Brownsville land from the trust, the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation adds a large block of land — 758 acres — to the CC Putnam State Forest, protects the headwaters of Moss Glen Brook and numerous beaver ponds, and allows public access to outdoor recreation opportunities along the western flank of the Worcester mountain range.

“Stowe Land Trust is so pleased that the Brownsville Forest conservation effort created common ground for many different people with a variety of outdoor recreation interests who all pitched in to help protect this outstanding local and statewide resource,” said Kristen Sharpless, executive director of the land trust. “The sporting community’s investment in the protection of high-quality wildlife habitat and new public lands is truly appreciated.”