Land donations expand Roxbury and Long Trail state forests
August 9, 2025 | By Lisa Scagliotti Two recent announcements have shared news of conservation efforts that have added to both the Long Trail State Forest in Johnson and the Roxbury State Forest in Warren.
The Deer Camp property in Johnson has now been added to protected lands as part of the Long Trail State Forest. Photo courtesy of the Green Mountain Club.
The Green Mountain Club, based in Waterbury Center, recently said that it has completed the permanent protection of 12 acres and 300 feet of Long Trail in Johnson.
The parcel, known as the Deer Camp property, is now owned and managed by the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation as part of the Long Trail State Forest. It protects a 300-foot stretch of the Long Trail and adds to public land access for the state forest, furthering the preservation and connection of regional natural resources and wildlife habitat, according to the announcement.
The conservation project came together with the Green Mountain Club, the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board and the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. It’s the latest effort of the Long Trail Protection Campaign, a partnership to permanently protect all 272 miles of the Long Trail in Vermont, according to Mollie Flanigan, Director of Land Conservation for the Green Mountain Club, the nonprofit organization that acts as the steward for the public trail.
This map shows the Deer Camp tract along the Long Trail in Johnson. Courtesy of the Green Mountain Club
This is the third property in the Johnson area recently protected by the partnership, adding to 163 acres previously conserved at two nearby properties in Johnson and Waterville, just north of the Deer Camp property. The other projects also added to the Long Trail State Forest.
“Since 1986, the Green Mountain Club has been working with partners and landowners to form a permanently protected route for the 272-mile Long Trail. This parcel forms a critical link improving the continuity of the protected trail corridor,” Flanigan said.
The Long Trail runs along the spine of the Green Mountains across the length of Vermont from Massachusetts to Canada. Along with its side trails, it provides 500 miles of hiking terrain in Vermont that is popular with thousands of hikers visiting the trail each year. The Green Mountain Club seeks permanent protection of the Long Trail to ensure that access continues for hikers and the communities it traverses continue to benefit from this recreation asset.
“Protecting even a small stretch of the Long Trail like this has an outsized impact, connecting people with the land, strengthening ecological corridors, and ensuring the trail remains accessible for generations to come,” said Gus Seelig, executive director of the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board. “We’re proud to support this work alongside our state and nonprofit partners. Together, we’re not just conserving land, we’re investing in the health, resilience, and identity of Vermont’s communities.”
The Long Trail and the surrounding forestlands also provide connected habitats for native fish, plants, and wildlife, that are becoming increasingly important in an era of climate change. The Deer Camp property sits within the regionally significant Northern Green Mountain wildlife linkage, which connects the Berkshires and southern Green Mountains to the Northern Appalachians of southern Quebec, according to the club.
“FPR is thrilled to see the Deer Camp property added to Long Trail State Forest to further protect the Long Trail, one of Vermont’s most historic and beloved recreational resources. In addition to protecting the Long Trail, projects like these also protect so many ancillary resources, like forest health, wildlife connectivity and habitat, scenic values and outdoor recreation,” said Danielle Fitzko, Vermont Commissioner of Forests, Parks and Recreation.
Funding for this project came from several sources: state Long Trail protection funds made available through the transfer of 171 acres of land from the state to the Green Mountain National Forest in 2023, the federal Forest Legacy Program, a grant from the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, and private funds raised by the Green Mountain Club.
See more on this project on the Green Mountain Club website here.
Family donation adds 52 acres to Roxbury State Forest
The Roxbury State Forest was recently expanded with the addition of 52 acres in Warren, according to an announcement by the Warren Conservation Commission and the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation.
Map courtesy of Kate Wanner, Warren Conservation Commission. Click to enlage.
The local and state entities called acreage “ecologically significant forestland” that will now be permanently protected through a collaborative effort of the state department, the town of Warren and landowners Wrenn Compere, Steve Flemer Jr., and Ben Flemer. Originally purchased by their father in the 1960s, the land will be permanently conserved for the public, protecting wildlife and water quality and supporting outdoor recreation, the announcement explains.
“My brothers and I are very pleased to be a part of conserving this magnificent piece of land,” Compere said. “Our contribution is offered in honor of our parents, Stevenson and Leslie Flemer, who raised us to be responsible, to share, and to take good care of fragile and important things.”
The parcel lies along Roxbury Mountain Road at the northwestern boundary of Roxbury State Forest. It includes steep terrain with headwater streams feeding the Dog River. The parcel meets several critical ecological goals:
It contains a known bear and wildlife corridor, identified in Warren’s ecological inventory
It has priority riparian areas
It’s part of a high-priority interior forest and connectivity block, as identified by Vermont Conservation Design.
The Flemer family is donating 85% of the property’s appraised value to the state through a bargain sale. The remaining portion was provided by the Warren Conservation Reserve Fund.
The full value of the property will be used as part of the required 25% match to a $2.3 million federal Forest Legacy Grant for the Hazen’s Notch project, further leveraging this generous donation from the family and the Town of Warren. The Forest Legacy funds secured for the Hazen’s Notch project by Forests, Parks and Recreation and the Trust for Public Land will conserve an additional 2,000 acres of strategic forestland in the Northern Green Mountains.
Both of these forestland protection efforts aim to help meet the state’s goal of protecting 30% of Vermont’s landscape by 2030, as called for in the Community Resilience and Biodiversity Protection Act of 2023.
“We are deeply grateful to the Flemer family for their generous contribution to Vermont’s state lands,” said state Forests, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Fitzko. “Their gift ensures the long-term protection of a critical forest and wildlife corridor in the Northfield Range.”
The Warren Conservation Commission played a key role by championing the project, consistent with its focus on protecting biodiversity, maintaining wildlife connectivity, and ecological resilience in Warren and across the Mad River Valley.
“This parcel links significant forest blocks and helps protect an important wildlife crossing along Roxbury Mountain Road,” said commission Chair Jito Coleman. “We’re proud to see town resources leveraged for such a meaningful conservation outcome.”
“This project exemplifies the kind of partnership that makes conservation in Vermont so successful,” said Gunnar Nurme, Land Acquisition Coordinator with the state of Vermont. “Landowners, local communities, and conservation partners like FPR working together for the benefit of all Vermonters.”
The land was added to Roxbury State Forest on July 29, and will forever be managed for public benefit – preserving wildlife habitat, maintaining forest health, supporting sustainable forest management, and providing opportunities for hiking, hunting, and other outdoor recreation.