Community succeeds in multi-year effort to add 30 acres to town-owned Peter A. Krusch Nature Preserve; new trails being developed
The Peter A. Krusch Nature Preserve in Cambridge has grown to 81 acres, thanks to the purchase of 30 acres by the Town of Cambridge from Heidi and Peter Bormann. The added land sits between the original preserve and public forestland to the northeast owned by the Village of Cambridge.
According to the Krusch Preserve Committee, approximately two miles of new loop trails are being designed that will double the length of trails open to the public. They will be built with the help of volunteers starting this summer.
This is the culmination of a multi-year effort that brought together many passionate people to secure the land for recreation and wildlife. VLT worked with the Town of Cambridge, resident and donor of the original preserve Sally Laughlin, the nonprofit Friends of the Peter A. Krusch Nature Preserve, and the Bormanns over several years so that the town could buy the land and protect it with a conservation easement that safeguards the natural resources as well as permanent public access.
“The Preserve has become a treasure for our Town, with many people walking the trails daily,” said Laughlin, who is also Chair of the Town of Cambridge Krusch Preserve Committee. “The addition of the Bormann land and its access to the neighboring Village wellhead land will allow wonderful extension of our trails through woodland and along Dragon Brook. We are very grateful for the support of the Town of Cambridge, the many generous donors, our volunteers, and the skill of the VLT in conserving and protecting land. May it be enjoyed by many future generations.”
“Peter and I felt it was the right thing to do to sell this beautiful land — that our family enjoyed for many years with our son Kyle exploring all the different trails — to the Town,” said Heidi Bormann. “That way it is preserved for future generations, and it is open to the public for years to come to enjoy, explore and create wonderful memories.”
On the day the land was protected: L-R, Peter and Heidi Bormann, Sally Laughlin, Mary Fiedler and Geana Little (Friends of the PAKNP), Cody Marsh (Cambridge Selectboard Chair), and Bob Heiser (VLT)
The Friends of the Peter A. Krusch Nature Preserve hosted forest walks and informational meetings to discuss the addition with the public. They also raised funds to cover part of the cost of buying and protecting the land. In addition, the town’s Conservation Commission contributed municipal funding and the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board granted an award to cover the land’s conservation.
“The community really pulled together to make sure this land could be protected and forever open to the public,” said Bob Heiser, Project Director for VLT. “Given its location connecting several tracts of public land, this addition to the Preserve will have an outsized impact for public access.”
A community treasure
The Preserve was established in 2021 after Sally, the Town of Cambridge, and VLT worked together to create it with land Laughlin donated to the town in honor of her late husband, Peter Krusch. With trails, educational signs, bridges, and parking, it quickly became a favorite spot for locals and visitors alike.
The Preserve received thousands of visitors within a 10-month span in 2025, according to a local news report. It offers gentle trails that meander through fields, forest, streams, and past a waterfall on Dragon Brook. The Preserve also connects the public to the Cambridge Pines State Forest, which hosts one of Vermont’s few examples of old forest.
Waterfall on the new land.
Public access to more nature, more diversity
The parcel added to the Preserve has forest roads that provide a natural connection to existing trails. It is entirely wooded with a stream that flows directly into the Lamoille River. The land has different forest types than the original nature preserve and is home to different species of birds and plants.
The effort has resulted in a stretch of connected public lands totaling over 200 acres: the 81-acre Krusch Preserve, the 22-acre Cambridge Pines State Forest, and the 115-acre wellhead property owned by the Village of Cambridge, which features a particularly large and impressive yellow birch tree thought to be over 200 years old.
To secure the connection, the Town of Cambridge received a trail easement from the Village of Cambridge. The new trails will be at a safe distance from the wellhead, to protect water quality.
On behalf of the Friends of Peter A. Krusch Preserve, Mary Fiedler said, “We would like to express our gratitude to all the amazing people who supported our efforts in securing this beautiful ecological piece of land for the Town of Cambridge. A big shout out to the Vermont Land Trust, the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board and the Town of Cambridge SElect Board for helping us add this additional property to the Peter A. Krusch Preserve.”
“We are pleased to partner with Vermont Land Trust and the Town of Cambridge to protect this well-loved community recreational resource,” said VHCB executive director Gus Seelig. “Congratulations to VLT and the Town of Cambridge on an excellent addition to the Krusch Nature Preserve, which will not only expand a popular trail network but will protect important water resources including 800 feet along Dragon Brook.”
Header photo: Community members walk the addition to the Krusch Preserve.
