OakLog
Spring/Summer 2014
The
News From Vermont
Our Land,
Our Legacy,
Our Future
the Oak Log
State Chapter Office
27 State Street, Suite 4, Montpelier, VT 05602-2959
telephone (802)229-4425; fax (802)229-1347
Southern Vermont Office
348 Bentley Avenue, Poultney, VT 05764
telephone (802)884-8165; fax (802)884-8126
B oard o f Trustees
Kathy Archer, Shelburne
Lynn Bondurant, Danby
George Burrill, Charlotte
Allen Clark, Plainfield
Erika Dade, Norwich
Sheppard Guryan, Pawlet
Lawrence Hamilton, Charlotte
Richard Heilemann, Manchester
Lester Humphreys, Brattleboro
Richard Jackson, Manchester
Gerard Jones, Woodstock
Warren King, Ripton
Bryan McCarthy, North Hero
Sarah Muyskens, Burlington
Maggie Paine, Cornwall
Peter Van Oot, Norwich
Stan Williams, Norwich
Steve Young, Wolcott
Sta ff
The mission of The Nature Conservancy is to conserve
the lands and waters on which all life depends.
The Nature Conservancy is a private, international membership
organization committed to the preservation of natural diversity.
To date, we have protected more than 117 million acres in the
United States and around the world.
In Vermont, the Conservancy has protected more than
183,000 acres and owns and operates a network of
55 natural areas across the state.
The Oak Log is written and edited by Glenn Scherer and
designed by The Laughing Bear Associates, Inc.
Cover photo: Cooper Dolan, 2004 – Eshqua Bog, by Bob Klein
Printed on 90% recycled
(including 30% PCW),
process chlorine-free paper
Heather Furman
He was our first natural community ecologist,
raising the awareness of all of us to Vermont’s
special places.”
I
t’s hard to believe it has been nearly a year since I joined the Vermont chapter,
and truth be told, it’s been nothing short of spectacular. The work to protect our
most inspirational landscapes has continued with great momentum, and the past
year has been both a celebration of our legacy, and a time of embracing our future.
Hub was a force of nature, recalls Bob Klein, who was handpicked by Hub as TNC Vermont’s first executive director in
1979. “Hub was inspiring. Confident. Mission driven. Altruistic.
Energetic. Happy,” says Klein. “He was a botanist who knew his
stuff, but also charismatic.
You always got the feeling
Hub liked you. He had that
gift of being there for you,
there for everybody.”
than protecting
isolated natural
areas to make our
conservation work
a lasting legacy.
I am especially fond of our work at Black Mountain
and Eshqua Bog, where we’re protecting world-class
ecological gems and allowing people the opportunity
to get up close and personal. We’re adding nearly
600 acres to our natural areas at North Pawlet Hills,
Black Mountain, and Deer Leap, among others.
We’re building miles of new trail and improving access at Raven Ridge and
Chickering Bog. We’ve raised nearly all of the $1.6 million we needed to complete
these projects — many that you will read about here — but we’re not there yet!
As we move forward, our work to protect and steward Vermont’s exceptional
places will continue. There is nothing quite as inspiring as a walk through the
forests, fields and fens that TNC has protected — they fill me with a great sense
of responsibility as one of the many dedicated stewards of our natural world.
As the impacts of climate change are felt around the globe, our conserved lands
offer refuge and resilience for some of Vermont’s most threatened species.
But it will take more than protecting isolated natural areas to make our conservation work a lasting legacy. Grounded in science, we’re embracing landscape-scale
conservation by improving habitat connectivity, restoring and reconnecting our
rivers, and mitigating the impact of invasive species on our natural communities.
It’s exciting to think about what’s possible in the months and years ahead.
I look forward to sharing this journey with you.
Land, Legacy & Our Future
You can help TNC complete its Land, Legacy
& Our Future campaign — in honor of Bob Klein
— by contributing to the protection of two
precious natural areas. We have less than
$141,000 left to raise to add 275 vital acres to
the Black Mountain Natural Area, and only
$60,000 to make Eshqua Bog’s stunning annual
wildflower display accessible to people of all
ages and abilities. We’re nearly there!
Please help TNC complete these critical projects by sending your gift today!
– Rose Paul
Hubert “Hub” Vogelmann—scientist, educator, conservationist, farmer, beekeeper, fisherman, mentor, co-founder of the
Vermont chapter of The Nature Conservancy, and protector
of Vermont’s special natural places — passed away October 11,
2013 at age 84.
We’ve celebrated this year with Land, Legacy and Our Future — our initiative to
honor now-retired director Bob Klein, who helped pave the way for the Vermont
chapter over the last 35 years. Contributions made to this special fund for Bob
are helping us complete 8 critical land protection and
It will take more
5 important public access projects in less than 11 months!
Chuck Helfer
The Nature Conservancy is supported by contributions from
individuals. Donations may be sent to the Vermont chapter
at 27 State Street, Suite 4, Montpelier, VT 05602-2959.
“Hub was truly a one-man heritage program.
Vogelmann arrived in
Vermont in 1955 to teach
botany at the University of
Vermont, where he chaired
the Botany Department
for 16 of his 36 years.
Bob Klein
Heather Furman, State Director
Kelsy Allan, Volunteer Coordinator and Field Assistant (AmeriCorps)
Jon Binhammer, Director of Protection
Becky Cushing, Volunteer Coordinator and Field Assistant (AmeriCorps)
Lyndon DeSalvo, Southern Vermont Field Assistant (AmeriCorps)
Dan Farrell, Conservation Information Manager/GIS Analyst
Phil Huffman, Director of Landscape Conservation and Policy
Jennifer Kramer, Director of Philanthropy
Paul Marangelo, Senior Conservation Ecologist
Murray McHugh, Critical Lands Manager (Southern Vermont)
Lynn McNamara, Critical Lands Manager (Northern Vermont)
Rose Paul, Director of Critical Lands and Conservation Science
Susi Richardson, Major Gifts Manager
From the Director
Remembering Hub
TNC staff
The Nature Conservancy of Vermont
web: nature.org/vermont
A. Blake Gardner
Published biannually by
In the next decade, he inventoried Vermont’s special places and
set up an organization to protect them: In 1960, he co-founded
TNC’s Vermont Chapter (along with UVM professor James
Marvin). Then in the mid 60s Hub inventoried Vermont’s
most significant unprotected wildlands (see sidebar).
In 1970, Hub worked for the passage of Vermont’s Act 250, still
one of the nation’s toughest laws protecting the environment
against development. In the 80s, his groundbreaking research
on Camels Hump spurred the nation to tackle the acid rain
problem. In 1983, he pioneered UVM’s Field Naturalist
Masters program — a curriculum aimed at creating the next
John Muirs and Rachel Carsons.
“I owe my entire career to Hub, and so do many field naturalists working for TNC today,” says Rose Paul, TNC Director of
Critical Lands and Conservation Science. Paul attended Hub’s
Field Naturalist program in 1984. “His revolutionary idea was
to get students out of their books and into the field, to put
boots on the ground, nurturing hands-on scientists who would
serve the conservation movement.”
Hub Vogelmann’s legacy lives on in the many lives he touched,
in the Vermont wildlands he helped preserve, and in The
Nature Conservancy. He lived a life that proves beyond a doubt
that one committed person can make a difference.
Hub Vogelmann joined by Bob Klein at Shelburne Pond
trail dedication.
A Livi ng Legacy:
Go to any bookshelf at TNC’s Montpelier headquarters
and you’ll likely find a worn copy of two 1960’s reports
written by Hub Vogelmann. Those thin volumes
entitled “Natural Areas in Vermont” offer Hub’s list of
significant “climax forests, marshes, bogs and ponds”
that “should be protected at all costs.” The list became
an early blueprint for TNC’s conservation work. To date
The Conservancy has helped protect an impressive
22 of those 66 valued ecological sites, including:
TNC Natural Areas: Molly Bog (donated to UVM),
Shelburne Pond (co-owned with UVM), LaPlatte
River Marsh, Sugar Hollow, Wilmarth Woods at Snake
Mountain, and Franklin Bog.
TNC Conservation Easements: Pherrins River
Wetland Complex, Black Island Hemlock Forest, Mount
Mansfield Conservation Area, and Colchester Bog.
State of VT / TNC Cooperative Projects: Camel’s
Hump State Park, Mount Mansfield State Forest,
Alburg Dunes State Park, Calvin Coolidge State
Forest, Haystack Mountain (on the Long Trail),
Dead Creek Wildlife Management Area (WMA),
Lower Otter Creek WMA, Whitney / Hospital Creek
WMA, Roy Mountain WMA, Cornwall Swamp WMA,
Victory State Forest and Victory Basin WMA.
Federal / TNC Cooperative Projects: Missisquoi
National Wildlife Refuge.
The Nature Conservancy in Vermont | nature.org/vermont Cover Story
Eshqua Bog:
Jon Binhammer
Fully Protecting the Volcano that Wasn’t
ersistence and serendipity: two words that aptly describe
TNC’s pending purchase of the 275-acre south-facing
bowl of Black Mountain. “This major acquisition — over a
quarter century in the making—will almost fully protect one
of Vermont’s more unusual geological and ecological sites,”
says TNC Protection Director Jon Binhammer.
TNC purchased its first 88-acre Black Mountain parcel in
1987. Nine acquisitions and easements later, the preserve had
grown to 683 acres, protecting such rarities as a 70-acre pitch
pine-scrub oak woodland and the very rare three-birds orchid.
The acquisition includes a horseshoe-shaped granite ridgeline
descending into a sunny bowl, which acts like a giant solar
collector to nurture plant species that typically thrive 200
miles farther south. “There are some interesting natural
communities here, including the Pitch Pine-Oak-Heath
Rocky Summit, Temperate Acidic Outcrop, Mesic MapleAsh-Hickory-Oak Forest, and Red Oak-Northern Hardwood
Forest communities,” says Binhammer.
Spring/Summer 2014
“The bowl lowlands reach nearly to the West River, and include
a sand and gravel plain formed by prehistoric glacial Lake
Hitchcock. Higher up, you get bare granite bedrock,” says Roger
Haydock, a Black Mountain neighbor who has played a lead role
in the peak’s preservation. “There’s bear, bobcat, moose sign, a
beaver pond, and a cascading brook.” TNC soon plans to create
a loop trail descending from the peak into the bowl.
However, a deteriorating 20-year-old boardwalk has now limited
access to the fen’s flowers. Though the bog sees 1,000 visitors yearly,
“it is impossible for a wheelchair, and hard for a baby stroller or someone
with walking difficulties to get there,” say long-time TNC Volunteer
Preserve Stewards Susan and Dean Greenberg.
Now for the serendipity: in a recent study, TNC looked at
New England’s Northern Forest to locate wildlands that
display the highest climate change resiliency — small acreages that contain a very high concentration of microclimates
through which plants and animals can migrate to adjust to
rapidly changing extremes of heat and moisture.
Black Mountain
Natural Area is
a Conservancy
treasure, a
1,280-foot
granite pluton—
a volcano that
never erupted.
“Black Mountain immediately popped out as a place with very
high resiliency,” says Mark Anderson, Director of Conservation
Science for TNC’s Eastern Division. “It has complex topography, wetland patches, a lot of elevation change, and is mostly
unfragmented,” all key factors that should aid rapid species
adaptation as climate change quickens. “Black Mountain
has a great deal of diversity packed into a small space,” says
Anderson, which makes it more special than anyone could have
dreamed back in 1987.
A Timber & Stone wheelchair accessible trail (above) and boardwalk (below), much like the ones to be built at Eshqua Bog.
A new parking lot, approach trail and boardwalk built to the accessibility
standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act will remedy that. “This
is The Vermont Chapter s first accessible trail,” says Lynn McNamara,
TNC’s Critical Lands Manager for Northern Vermont. “It will fulfill
one of our overarching goals: to connect people with nature.”
“We’re especially excited about the trail builder,” says Kramer. “Josh
Ryan and his company, Timber & Stone exemplify an artful approach
to trails that blends aesthetics with the highlighting and protection of
natural features.” The company has already proven itself with trail work
at TNC’s Raven Ridge and Black Mountain natural areas.
Bob Klein
This summer, one of the last pieces in the puzzle is expected
to fall into place. “We’ve been interested in negotiating the
acquisition of this 275-acre parcel for years, but ownership
was shared among a large family, complicating agreement
among all the parties,” says TNC Director of Philanthropy
Jennifer Kramer. “The owners really care about this land, and
they are delighted to conserve it.”
“It’s one of the few places people can see these orchids up close,” says
NEWFS Ecological Program Coordinator Amanda Weise, “From the
start, our co-management of this property with TNC has been tied
to public access.”
Josh Ryan, Timber & Stone, LLC
Black Mountain Natural Area is a Conservancy treasure,
a 1,280-foot granite pluton — a volcano that never erupted.
The peak took shape roughly 370 million years ago when a
huge mass of molten rock formed miles beneath the Earth’s
crust. This hot magma core cooled over the eons, until softer
rock above it eroded away, allowing the erosion-resistant
granite dome to emerge and loom over Dummerston, Vermont.
lans are afoot for one of the most exciting trail building projects
undertaken by TNC Vermont. “This summer, once funding is in
place, a new fully accessible trail and boardwalk will make Eshqua Bog
— one of our most beloved natural areas — reachable by people of all
ages and abilities,” says TNC Director of Philanthropy Jennifer Kramer.
Eshqua Bog is a 40.8-acre natural area acclaimed by naturalists for
over a century. It was saved from development and conserved by local
advocates, TNC and the New England Wild Flower Society (NEWFS)
in 1990. Its 8-acre rich fen and spectacular June display of wild orchids,
including hundreds of showy lady’s slippers, is internationally renowned.
Above: Looking from the Black Mountain summit south into the soon to be acquired bowl. Below: The very rare three birds orchid.
P
P
Josh Ryan, Timber & Stone, LLC
Black Mountain:
TNC’s First Fully Accessible Trail
Takes Shape
Ryan’s team will build a 5-foot wide access trail, underlain with geotextile fabric, topped with crushed compressed stone, not exceeding a
5 percent grade. The boardwalk, made of rot-resistant black locust, will
allow two wheelchairs to pass each other. And it will be beautiful, says
Ryan. “Like nature, it will be curvilinear, arcing gracefully as it crosses the
fen. Of course, our highest priority will be protecting the rare plants.”
“This is a big project with many moving parts and partners,” says
McNamara. TNC will oversee the work, sharing fundraising with
NEWFS. While Timber & Stone builds the trail and boardwalk, the
Vermont Youth Conservation Corps and volunteers from TNC,
NEWFS and the Hartland Nature Club will build two bridges on the
bog’s loop trail.
“This project is an opportunity to make Eshqua Bog a showplace that
people with limited mobility or families with small children can fully
enjoy,” concludes Kramer, “It allows us to tell the TNC story while
protecting one of our ecological jewels.”
The Nature Conservancy in Vermont | nature.org/vermont Volunteerism —
olunteers have been the heart and soul of The Nature
Conservancy since its inception. After all, TNC was
launched by volunteers — people who saw a need to keep land
wild and then made it happen.
This summer and fall, join TNC for guided trips
through the Vermont countryside.
Despite all the donated time, our need remains large. This
year, for example, we hope to entice volunteer photographers
to take photos of our natural areas, events and workshops.
We’re also looking for aid with tree planting, invasives removal,
trail work and trail stewardship.
So if you’re thinking of volunteering, ask yourself: “What do
I love to do, and do well?” Then ask who could benefit most,
and you’ll quickly discover the perfect volunteer niche. Hopefully, it will be with TNC!
Article by Kim Ward, Operations & Communications Coordinator
Spring/Summer 2014
All field trips are free and open to the public and led by The Nature
Conservancy’s staff and friends from the conservation community.
To register, or find out more, please contact each trip leader directly.
All meals are BYO brown bag.
Clip and Save
Some volunteers help out in the office. We received 1,020
donated hours from a single volunteer last year. James Demasi
continues to file, enter data, answer phones, and greet visitors
at TNC’s Montpelier office, while retraining for a new career
as part of the Vermont Associates in Training program.
Take a Walk (Paddle) on the Wild Side!
TNC Staff
College students seek us out for scientific projects — a perfect
marriage of students’ learning needs with TNC’s labor needs.
Antioch graduate students did a deer browse analysis at High
Pond, and Castleton State College Hydrogeology and Geochemistry students sampled and analyzed soils at a trash burn
site at the Buckner Natural Area. Soon, a University of Vermont
Restoration Ecology class will help with a major invasive plant
control project at LaPlatte Natural Area, and a Green Mountain
College class will partner with us on a big GIS project.
Field Trips
Above: Castleton State College volunteer trail crew at Tim’s Trail,
Buckner preserve. Below: Dealer.com and Seventh Generation
corporate volunteers, Invasives Day at Williams Woods.
Those volunteer accomplishments are impressive and long
lasting. Chuck and Gail Helfer have been the Shaw Mountain
Natural Area Volunteer Preserve Stewards since 2004,
and Susan Tucker has been Volunteer Preserve Steward at
Williams Woods for 22 years. The volunteer Barr Hill
Stewardship Committee has managed that natural area since
it’s donation by Clive
“Thank you!” to our amazing
Gray’s family in 1972.
Pods of elementary school volunteers. We couldn’t do it
children have pulled water without you. Find volunteer
chestnuts, and hoards of
opportunities at nature.org/
high school students have
vtvolunteer.
hoed out honeysuckle.
Corporate groups have given time too, such as the Dealer.com
group that eradicated invasives at Williams Woods.
Bill Munk: A Texas Transplant Takes to TNC
Bill Munk spent 33 years in Texas
finishing his electronic media
career. At retirement, he set out to
write novels and find a new home.
“I traveled the Northwest, Southwest, then New England, looking for
something as different from Dallas
as possible,” he says. He found it in
Vermont. Bill settled here in May
2012 and volunteered right away with
TNC. “I believe in always giving back,
especially to nature,” says Bill. He did riparian restoration and
invasive species mitigation in Texas. In 2012 and ‘13, Bill was
a regular on TNC field crews — swinging a mattock, moving
rock, cutting brush, and building bog bridges at the LaPlatte,
Williams Woods and Raven Ridge natural areas. “I love getting outside and doing physical labor. I love working with the
Conservancy!” he exclaims. He especially relishes Vermont
summers — cool compared to “blazing hot” Texas. “As long as
TNC has work, I’m happy to do it,” says Bill.
Glenn Suokko
V
Over the years, the Vermont chapter has benefited greatly
from our volunteers. In 2013 alone, they donated 2,792 hours.
Using the U.S. hourly wage average, that comes to $62,000
in sheer grit and elbow grease.
TNC 2014
Chuck Helfer
The Heart of
The Nature Conservancy
Otter Creek Floodplain Float
Saturday, September 6 / 10:00 am–1:00 pm
Paddle Otter Creek in Cornwall. Observe the role of floodplain
forests along rivers; have lunch and take a short walk to observe
floodplain forest restoration project 8 years after planting.
Trip Contact: Rose Paul, [email protected], or 802-229-4425, x108
Difficulty Level: Moderate paddle downstream then back
upstream and we’ll go for an easy short walk.
2014 Ve r mont Fi e ld Tr ips
Red Oak Ramble
wOn a few trips, you can meet our new State Director, Heather Furman.
Saturday, September 27 / 11:00 am–2:00 pm
The View from the Top w
Hike up Sheridan Mountain in Guildhall and have lunch in the
old growth forest of huge red oaks, one of the most northern
stands of red oaks in Vermont.
Saturday, June 14, 2014 / 1:00–3:30 pm
Join us at our Black Mountain Natural Area in Dummerston
for a trip to the 275-acre parcel we plan to acquire this summer.
Walk through oak, pine and hemlock forest. The mountain
laurel should be at peak bloom!
Trip Contact: Rose Paul, [email protected], or 802-229-4425, x108
Trip Contact: Jon Binhammer, [email protected]
or 802-229-4425, x110
Sunday, October 19 / 1:oo–4:00 pm
Difficulty Level: Strenuous, steep hillside climb.
Mount Equinox Fall Foliage Adventure
Difficulty Level: Moderate 4 mile hike — we’ll be walking on
logging roads.
Explore the great ecological diversity and ecological importance
of Mount Equinox, Manchester in fall — either on foot or by
car to the summit! Enjoy spectacular views and foliage.
Sunset in the Bog w
Trip Contact: Phil Huffman, [email protected],
or 802-229-4425 x109
Tuesday, July 15 / 5:00–8:00 pm
Explore the beauty of Chickering Bog on a long summer evening.
We’ll hike out to the bog and enjoy a picnic just before sunset.
Trip Contact: Lynn McNamara, [email protected]
or 802-229-4425, x116
Difficulty Level: Moderate 2 mile hike over some uneven
terrain. Bring a picnic dinner, a headlamp, and insect repellent.
Late Summer Hike & Swim w
Wednesday, August 20 / 6:00–8:30 pm
Take an evening hike to the White River Ledges in Sharon/
Pomfret, where we’ll work up a sweat, see some cool plants,
and jump in the White River for a refreshing swim.
Trip Contact: Jon Binhammer, [email protected]
or 802-229-4425, x110
Difficulty Level: Strenuous long climb for hikers; easy walk at
summit for car trippers.
Note: Fee involved for car trippers on Skyline Drive – $15 for
car & driver, $5 per passenger
Changing Times, Changing Landscapes
Friday, October 10 / 2:00–5:00 pm
Explore our High Pond Natural Area in Brandon. Learn about
the outstanding variety of significant natural community types
and how the preserve helps link habitat for wildlife.
Trip Contact: Paul Marangelo, [email protected]
or 802-229-4425 x119
Difficulty Level: Moderate, long hike
For more, visit www.nature.org/vermont/events
Difficulty Level: Strenuous uphill section, then relatively level
or downhill 1.5 mile hike (bring or wear your bathing suit!)
The Nature Conservancy in Vermont | nature.org/vermont NON-PROFIT ORG
The Nature Conservancy
27 State Street, Suite 4
Montpelier, Vermont 05602-2959
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PERMIT #171
Spring-Summer 2014
Oak Log
The
News From Vermont
Emily Boedecker
“It is hard to imagine a more worthwhile
endeavor than the preservation of a
small piece of Vermont’s natural heritage
for our future citizens.”
– Hub Vogelmann, 1969
In this issue
• Remembering Hub
• Black Mountain Bowl
• Eshqua Bog Fully Accessible Trail
• In Praise of TNC Volunteers
H. Laurence Achilles Natural Area at Shelburne Pond:
One of TNC’s earliest land conservation projects in
Vermont and Hub’s favorite fishing hole.