Along the southwestern edge of Vermont rise the Taconic Mountains. Formed from land once submerged under an ancient ocean, these mountains are rich in calcium from the shells and bones of sea creatures. This calcium creates fertile soils, making the range a hotspot for a myriad species of plants and wildlife. They also serve as an important wildlife corridor all the way from Lake Champlain to the Hudson Highlands in New Jersey.

“The Taconics are a forgotten corner of Vermont,” said Don Campbell, Project Director at VLT. “But they have outsized ecological significance because of the way animals move up and down the eastern seaboard.”

The mountains form a 150-mile sub-range of the Appalachian Mountains that runs almost directly north-south, an unfurled ribbon east of the Green Mountains and west of the Catskills and Adirondacks.

This summer, we worked with The Conservation Fund (TCF), a longstanding partner, to conserve about 334 acres of land in Sandgate, in the heart of the Taconics. While the remote, forested parcel may look like a discrete shape on our human-made maps, its greatest value may lie in being part of something much larger than itself.

A small link with a big impact

A male black bear in the Northeast can have a home range of up to 80,000 acres. In comparison, 334 acres in Sandgate may not seem like much. But, by linking up larger pieces of forest, it reconnects the landscape in ways that animals need.

The land that we protected borders over 1,500 acres of protected forest to the northeast, south, and west.

“This project builds on existing conserved lands,” explains TCF’s Hannah Epstein. “It fills a gap between them and contributes to a connected north-south corridor of conserved lands stretching from Arlington to Sandgate.”

Landscapes are stronger when they are connected. Similarly, conservation groups can achieve more when we work together.

This project is part of a multi-year collaboration, informed by Vermont Conservation Design, the tool that Jens coauthored. TCF acquired the parcel as part of a larger three-state purchase from a lumber company. TCF conserved it with VLT and then sold it to Ross Rabach, a private landowner who is thrilled to be stewarding the protected property.

“TCF and VLT have a longstanding and incredibly productive partnership,” says Hannah, “and without a doubt our respective organizations are able to conserve more land by working together. This is increasingly important for working towards statewide conservation goals.”

Conserved lands make ideal pathways

The parcel itself is home to a range of forestland and habitat, thanks to the rich soils of the Taconic Mountains. Much of the land features Dry Oak Forests, an uncommon forest in Vermont known for its abundant food for wildlife.

There are also white pine, red maple, and beech trees; younger stands where prior logging created openings in the canopy; and blueberry, shadberry, and black huckleberry in shrubby areas. A vernal pool nestled in the property’s interior offers important breeding habitat for amphibians.

Several forested streams cross the woods, eventually flowing into Chunks Brook, which then joins the Batten Kill River.

Protecting this parcel means the land will stay forested, permanently, and scores of birds, fish, large animals, and other critters will be able to move, adapt, and thrive.

Jens says conserved lands make ideal pathways because they are protected forever. “Even as the rest of Vermont may get developed, we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that protected land will remain undeveloped. That’s critically important.”

All photos by Caleb Kenna.