– Photos of the proposed Monkton Town Forest parcel, taken in 2022 and 2023.
Spring 2024 update: Thanks to generous community members, federal, state, foundation, town, and local grants, we are delighted to announce that we’ve raised $1.116 million that will enable the Town to acquire and permanently protect the 447-acre forestland and wetlands for the Monkton Town Forest!
Funding awarded or confirmed toward the $1.1 million dollar project budget includes a $400,000 grant from the federal Community Forest and Open Space Program in July 2023, a $371,000 grant from the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board in May 2023, $150,000 from Monkton’s allocation of ARPA funds, a $100,000 donation of value from The A. Johnson Co. LLC, and up to $45,000 from existing Monkton Agricultural & Natural Areas (ANAC) Funds. The above totals 95% of the project budget!
Over the past few months a group of volunteers has been working to raise the last 5% ($50k) of the $1.116 million dollar project through small grants and individual contributions. Great progress has been made so far, including the award of a $12,000 Davis grant and a number of contributions received. Although we have reached the minimum needed to close on the project later this year Monkton residents will soon have the opportunity to help put the management fund in an even stronger position for the setup and the long-term operation of this community resource. Look for a fundraiser arriving in the mail and you can also contribute online and find more info at https://vlt.org/community-campaigns/monkton/
Background
The Monkton Town Forest Committee (MTFC) was formed on March 11, 2019 when the Monkton Selectboard voted to “create a 5-member Town Forest Committee to explore creating a Town Forest in Monkton”. This was a few days after a new 2020-2028 Town Plan was approved by the voters that renewed the recommendation to “Create a town forest that can serve education and recreation needs of residents”.
The committee has been working toward this goal since, researching the steps involved in establishing a town forest, seeking community input on what we would collectively value about a town forest, and working with the landowner of a suitable forest parcel to initiate conversation about a potential sale and related appraisals, etc. In early February 2023 an 18-month option to purchase was signed between A. Johnson Co and Vermont Land Trust (VLT). 2023 was focused on community engagement and the on-going acquisition of the parcel. The committee continued to work closely with VLT to acquire this piece of forestland. VLT has extensive experience working with towns to establish town forests and would hold the conservation easement on the property.
An exciting opportunity for Monkton!
Monkton has the opportunity to purchase a 447-acre parcel of forestland from the A. Johnson Co., to establish a Monkton Town Forest! The property has significant conservation values and opportunities for access to nature, outdoor recreation, sustainable forestry practices, protection of a large block of intact wildlife habitat, water quality protection, and outdoor education. It is also adjacent to the nearly 1,000 conserved acres of the Watershed Center in Bristol. The parcel has uncommon natural communities and species, multiple beaver ponds, wetlands, vernal pools, and headwater streams for the Pond Brook and Little Otter Creek watersheds. There are existing woods roads and a variety of topography.
The Vermont Land Trust and the A. Johnson Co. LLC have entered into an 18-month option to purchase, which would be assumed by Monkton at the closing, when all of the project funding is complete. The funding sources to acquire the property and establish a management fund would consist of 78% from federal and state grants along with a donation of value by the landowner, 13% from Monkton’s allocation of ARPA funds, 5% from private fundraising, and 4% from existing Monkton Agricultural & Natural Areas Funds.
As part of the funding process the land would be conserved through the Vermont Land Trust. Over the next year the community will be engaged in developing a management plan for the Town Forest to balance the various uses that residents value. It should be noted that the conservation easement would restrict some uses (including most forms of motorized/mechanized recreation). The many other permitted uses, such as hunting and hiking, will be integrated appropriately through a community input process (during summer of 2024) into a management plan. We also anticipate using data from the recent Natural Resource Inventory of Monkton completed by Arrowwood Environmental, and UVM’s Landscape Inventory & Assessment graduate course which is studying the parcel in the spring 2024 semester, to inform the management plan. The plan would be established by the end of 2024 and it can evolve over the years, as the interests and needs of the community change.
We anticipate completing the purchase of this parcel as our new Monkton Town Forest in the second half of 2024!
More information:
Annual Report update (2023) from the Monkton Town Forest Committee
Map of the proposed Monkton Town Forest parcel
Frequently Asked Questions (updated 3/1/2024)
Vermont Land Trust Conservation Easement Summary (more info on what would be permitted/protected/restricted by the conservation easement)
Community Outreach
The MTFC began community outreach and planning for Town Meeting in February 2023 and organized many engagement opportunities. These included an announcement during Town Meeting, many committee and Selectboard meetings, 6 site walks (with about 43 residents participating), 3 informational sessions at Town Hall/Zoom, 4 tabling events (Recycling Center, Strawberry Festival, Town Meeting), an article and a mention in the Addison Independent, an interview with NEAT TV, signs/posters around Town, maintaining a website with Frequently Asked Questions and other information, a display at Town Hall, numerous Front Porch Forum and Facebook posts, and last but not least…a mailing and return postcard survey.
With the goal of reaching as many voters as possible, the MTFC worked with VLT on a mailing and postcard survey that was sent to registered voters in June 2023. The two questions asked were:
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- Do you support the Town acquisition of 445 acres from the A. Johnson Co. to create a Monkton Town Forest using $150,000 of existing Monkton ARPA funds, up to $45,000 of existing Monkton Agricultural and Natural Area Funds, and other grants? YES NO Unsure/Need to know more.
- Please tell us why you support or do not support a Monkton Town Forest: ________________
SURVEY RESULTS: Yes: 341 (75.1%) No: 93 (20.5%) Unsure: 17 (3.7%) Blank: 3 (0.7%) Total: 454
The full report on the survey, including the comments (de-identified) are included in the MTFC’s progress report on July 7th, 2023.
As the pieces fall into place for the purchase the committee will turn to engaging with the community in the spring and summer of 2024 about the shape of the management plan. This will likely take the form of a series of meetings on a range of topics. The management plan needs to be completed within four months after closing, so likely by the fall of 2024.
We will also continue to provide progress updates at Town Meeting, in the Monkton Annual Report, in our committee meetings, on Front Porch Forum/Facebook as appropriate, and on this page.
We encourage residents to share your thoughts, questions, concerns, and support at any time with the Town Forest Committee (townforest@monktonvt.com) and/or the Selectboard (selectboard@monktonvt.com).
Meetings, Members, and Contact Info
Town Forest Committee meetings are held at Town Hall and via Zoom/phone. The date/times and Zoom info will be posted on the calendar at the Monkton Town website and on the bulletin boards at Town Hall and the Post Office.
Meeting agendas and minutes can be found at these links.
Members of the Monkton Town Forest Committee:
- Callie Brynn (Chair)
- Jaime Schulte (Vice-Chair)
- John McNerney
- Peter Dufault
- Molly Parren
- CJ Buzzy
- (Open Position)
The Town Forest Committee can be reached via email: townforest@monktonvt.com
– Part of the proposed Monkton Town Forest, in October 2022.