Let’s save the island!

Help make Island Pond island part of Brighton State Park

We've hit our goal! Thank you to our generous donors who helped us raise $76,000 to conserve the island in Island Pond.

A Northeast Kingdom gem is for sale

Right now, we have the opportunity to help the State of Vermont buy and permanently conserve the island at the heart of Island Pond. If we are successful, both the island and a small lakeside parcel will become part of Brighton State Park.

Why now? In short: the island is for sale. This means it’s at immediate risk of no longer being a place the public can enjoy. While locals have enjoyed pulling boats up to the beach, there are no formal agreements in place to keep the island open to the public. If sold on the private market, full closure to the public is a very real possibility.

What’s at stake

The island adds beauty, offers habitat for wildlife, and plays a central role in the area’s recreation economy. If we are successful, future generations will always be able to enjoy the island. Boaters and kayakers can visit the beach. Eagles can nest in the red pines, and loons on the shoreline. The community will always be able to view the undeveloped island from the lake and the top of Bluff Mountain.

A place for people and nature in the Northeast Kingdom

We are working with the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation to buy and conserve the island, along with a three-acre shoreline property, which will secure access to the island. With your help, the land will become part of Brighton State Park. The land will be permanently conserved with the Vermont Land Trust through a conservation easement that protects public access and good land stewardship practices. Once part of the park, the community can in a public process on how best to manage the land.

Thanks to Chip Tremper and Ross Stevens for sharing photos and videos.