January Sunshine Fund recipient:
The Trust for Public Land
The Trust for Public Land creates parks and protects land for people, ensuring healthy and livable communities for generations to come. In the past 25 years, TPL has protected over 50,000 acres in the Green Mountains of Vermont, landscapes that are important to communities for health, climate resilience and equitable access.
The Sunshine Fund donation will help the Trust for Public Land permanently protect the 619-acre Lincoln Peak property in Warren and Lincoln as an addition to the Green Mountain National Forest, which protects 1.3 miles of the Catamount Trail and the Long Trail corridor, as well as the scenic viewshed from the Mad River Byway. This is a one-time opportunity to address the threat of fragmentation of core forest by conserving the forest on the south side of Lincoln Peak, directly adjacent to Sugarbush. Long-term protection will ensure permanent access for recreational opportunities for hikers, skiers, anglers and other outdoor enthusiasts, safeguarding the wilderness experiences and scenic views along the Catamount Trail and within the Long Trail corridor. The property is an ecological gem, home to old growth forest, rare plants and natural communities, moose, bear and Bicknell Thrush habitat, and the headwater streams of Lincoln Brook. Once purchased, these private inholdings will be added as public land to the Green Mountain National Forest so that Mad River Valley residents and visitors can enjoy them forever.
