Perry Hill land deal needs final $22k to add 83 acres to Putnam State Forest
September 13, 2025 | By Lisa Scagliotti Waterbury’s new land conservation nonprofit is close to the finish line on its second project, which will add 83 acres to Putnam State Forest on Perry Hill.
83 wooded acres on Perry Hill are to be added to Putnam State Forest. Waterbury Land Initiative photo
All that’s standing in the way is the final $22,000 that the Waterbury Land Initiative hopes the community will pitch in to fundraise with a tight deadline of Oct. 1 before the real estate transaction closes soon afterward.
The $901,000 project has been six years in the making. In 2019, members of the Waterbury Land Initiative heard from members of the Gilpin family who own the land. The family was interested in figuring out a way for the land to be preserved and the land initiative project had just organized the year before.
“It takes any land conservation project many years to come to closure,” explained Steve Hagenbuch, vice president of the land initiative’s volunteer board. “They had an interest to protect this forest land in the long term … it was something their parents would be interested in,” he recounted.
The project involves two parcels – one 72 acres, another 11 acres – owned by Linda, Beth and Rob Gilpin, whose late parents previously owned the property. It’s located on the south side of Perry Hill Road near Keefe Lane, adjacent to state lands.
Beth Gilpin said she and her siblings decided to investigate the conservation project to add their family land to the nearby state forest as a way to honor the memory of their parents, Bob and Jean Gilpin. “Our parents grew up in Vermont, met at UVM, and spent their retirement years here. Their love of Vermont and support of conservation led us to feel this is the best use of the land, and we think it would delight them,” she said.
The forest is typical of the nearby area, covered with extensive hemlock, white pine and red oak. Much of the property is mapped as deer wintering areas, and it’s common to see bears active on the land, according to the conservation group.
A key part of putting land into conservation involves assembling the funds for the purchase and lining up the new entity that will be the property’s steward into the future. In this case, the Waterbury Land Initiative is acting as the facilitator to put those pieces together, Hagenbuch said. “WLI is not making the purchase,” he emphasized.
The new owner will be the state of Vermont and the land ultimately will be added to the Worcester Range Management Unit Long-Range Management Plan.
To date, 98% of the project budget is in place. The various sources are:
The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation has committed to covering approximately 50% of the total project budget from state and federal funding sources, including the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which is part of the National Park Service.
The Vermont Housing and Conservation Board has committed $281,500 to the project. VHCB also will hold a conservation easement on the property that will guarantee the property remains as forestland with public access.
The private Davis Conservation Foundation is supplying a $15,000 grant.
The landowners offered “a bargain sale of the land,” with a price below its appraised value.
What’s left is the final $22,000 that the land initiative hopes can be added through individual donors in the community. The organization is a 501c3 nonprofit, so contributions are tax-deductible.
Land use
Hagenbuch said the goal is for the land to be free of development and open for public use, with the hope for the state to provide for access and parking sometime in the future.
Click to enlarge this state map.
“From Day One, it will be open to the public for foot travel,” he said. “There aren’t any trails on it currently.”
Immediate uses will be for what Hagenbuch describes as “dispersed recreation,” which means walking, hiking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and hunting.
The challenge now is access. People can get to the land from the Perry Hill bike trails, entering near the Ice Center. A small sliver of the property is accessible from Perry Hill Road, about .7 miles up from the park and ride lot on Lincoln Street. There’s no spot for parking cars, however, along Perry Road.
“This is something the state will deal with,” Hagenbuch said. “They will figure out ways to make that happen.”
One obvious question, Hagenbuch said, is whether the Perry Hill mountain bike trails will be expanded into this section. He noted that one of the biking trails, Joe’s Trail, runs in close proximity to the property line with the Gilpin land.
Although the current owners are not opposed to bike trails on the property, they also have expressed interest in some pedestrian-only paths to ensure varying uses, Hagenbuch noted.
“That decision is going to take time,” he said. “The state’s process has to be followed.”
Once the property is under state ownership, determining its uses and improvements for public access will follow a public process for state land management. Hagenbuch pointed out the potential for the land to serve as a connection between the mountain bike trails and the Waterbury Community Path, which has access at the foot of Perry Hill near the Lincoln Street Park and Ride lot. “There could be opportunities to connect different parts of town through trails,” he said.
Beth Gilpin said she and her family members are pleased to share what’s been their corner of Perry Hill and for it to be preserved so it remains protected for wildlife. “We hope the land will provide benefits to people through recreation and hunting, and to wildlife through protected habitat and wildlife corridors. We are grateful for the support and guidance of Steve Hagenbuch and the rest of the dedicated WLI volunteers,” she said.
Second major conservation project
The Gilpin land project is the second effort that Waterbury Land Initiative has shepherded through the conservation process. Its first transaction was its own acquisition of 125 acres on Blush Hill in 2022 that the nonprofit now owns and will steward into the future.
This Waterbury Land Initiative map shows the Russell property on Blush Hill that has been conserved. Click to enlarge.
That project came about through the impetus of former landowner L. Chila Russell, who was interested in conserving property that had been in hers and her late husband William G. Russell’s family for many years. Through private donations, the land initiative was able to complete the purchase and now is responsible for managing its 108 forested acres and about another 17 acres of open land.
The property is split into two sections by Blackberry Lane on the west side of Blush Hill Road with much of the forested portion in the northern section that’s adjacent to the site of the WDEV radio towers; most of the open land is the acreage across Blackberry to the south. There is no development on the property, which serves as a rich wildlife habitat and also contains multiple streams.
The land initiative has drawn up a management plan for the property that’s posted on its website.
In the case of the Blush Hill property, it made sense for WLI to purchase the land and plan for its stewardship, Hagenbuch said. For the Perry Hill project now underway, he said the group decided it was best to work with the state of Vermont to add it to the adjacent Putnam State Forest.
Former landowner Chila Russell savors a moment in July 2024 after a walk through the forest behind her on the Blush Hill property now owned by Waterbury Land Initiative. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti
Although the land initiative took over the Blush Hill property nearly three years ago, it remains largely untouched since the change in ownership. The land initiative has yet to take steps to make any improvements to accommodate public access or mark the existing extensive trail network winding through the forested sections and connecting with nearby neighborhood trails. Hagenbuch said future fundraising will be directed towards that effort.
For now, locals familiar with the property use it with some frequency for walking, hiking and birdwatching, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing, and even hunting. Motorized activities such as ATVs and snowmobiles, as well as mountain biking and horseback-riding, are not allowed on the property.
Find more information online about Waterbury Land Initiative and fundraising for the Perry Hill land conservation project.