Key habitat transferred to national forest

Encompassing 2,744 acres of forest habitat, hiking trails and aquatic resources, the Rolston Rest property serves as the viewshed for the nearby iconic Appalachian National Scenic Trail and has long been a popular destination for hikers, hunters and skiers.

The future vision for the property also includes partnering with Vermont Huts Association to build a year-round cabin at South Pond, at a previously disturbed site where a residence was destroyed by an arsonist in 2018. Part of a four-season hut-to-hut network linking rural communities across the state, the proposed hut will create a new point of access to the outdoors.

The property hosts three miles of the Long Trail, two miles of the Catamount Trail and is proposed to include a section of the new, multi-use Velomont Trail that one day will connect mountain bike networks and local communities along the entire length of Vermont. It also supports habitat for bobcats, moose, otters and threatened northern long-eared bats.

To date, the trust has protected more than 52,500 acres in the Green Mountains, with a goal to conserve an additional 20,000 acres in the next decade, particularly along the Long and Appalachian trails.