NORWICH — It’s safe to say that Norwich’s Gile Mountain — and its iconic fire tower — is one of the most hiked places in the Upper Valley.
But while the town of Norwich has been committed to keeping it open and accessible for all, it isn’t under a conservation easement to permanently protect the land from development.
That’s scheduled to change this year as the Upper Valley Land Trust, Norwich Conservation Commission and other state entities have joined to purchase the 186-acre Woody Adams tract that sits between the town-owned Gile Mountain and the Norwich Town Forest, which are 52 acres apiece. While the parcels will retain their individual names, the collective 290 acres will be known as the Woody Adams Conservation Forest.
“All the use will stay the same,” said Craig Layne, chairman of the Norwich Conservation Commission. “We’re not changing anything about the hiking trails or the fire tower on Gile or the ridge trail that goes to the south.”
It is named for the late Woody Adams, who had a great love for backcountry skiing and whose family owns land in Sharon.
“They had a real connection to the land there and really loved it,” Layne said.
There are plans to honor Adams by clearing brush to mark a backcountry cross country ski and snowshoe loop. The land previously had a private easement on it that allowed hikers to access Blue Ribbon Trail, which cuts through the tract and ends at Gile Mountain.
The opportunity to purchase the Adams parcel came about in late 2019 and solidified in 2020. Woody Adams’ son, Tony Adams, was looking to sell the land and approached the conservation commission, which in turn approached the Upper Valley Land Trust for guidance. They worked out an agreement where UVLT would purchase the property using a $300,000 loan from a state program that provides low-interest loans to organizations and municipalities for Vermont Clean Water Projects.
The high-elevation Adams tract is rich with streams and brooks that contribute to a watershed, said Peg Merrens, UVLT’s vice president of conservation. Protecting those waterways from development can help offset major flooding events, and the property also has many vernal pools that serve as breeding grounds for amphibians.
“Anything to be done to protect a high-elevation forest like this, so it stays intact and does not contribute to these types of events and can absorb water, is all the better,” Merrens said.
Now, the Upper Valley Land Trust is fundraising to pay back the loan using a combination of a $125,000 grant from the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, $130,000 from the Norwich Conservation Commission and donations from the public, among other resources. Once the loan is paid off, ownership will transfer to the town of Norwich; UVLT and Vermont Housing and Conservation Board will hold the land easement, which will encompass all three properties.
“It was never intended that we would own and manage it,” Merrens said. “Not that they (Gile Mountain and Norwich Town Forest) were at risk, but the nice thing about a conservation easement is it’s perpetual. It’ll insure that it’s always protected and it’s always accessible and it stays the way people see it today or use it.”
In addition to the water elements, the Woody Adams Conservation Forest is rich with tree species including hemlock, sugar maple, red spruce, hardwood ash, hop hornbeam and white pine, Layne said. Dense and mature hardwood forests have shown to be good partners in storing carbon, which play a role in nature-based solutions to climate change.
“Anything we can do to tie up atmospheric carbon into the wood of trees and into the biomass of the soil is a good natural climate solution,” said Layne, who is also a member of the Linking Lands Alliance, a group that promotes linking and protecting large tracts of forestland. “The Northeast still has a large amount of forest, and it’s important to keep it as a carbon sink.”
In terms of wildlife, trail cameras Layne placed on the Adams property have picked up deer, porcupine and long-tailed weasels. He’s also spotted moose, fisher, bobcat and coyote tracks. The land serves as an important wildlife corridor, but there’s evidence of human activity, too: Cellar holes, stone walls and old foundations have been found on the property.
“It’s clear there were quite a few settlers up there,” Layne said.
Fundraising has entered the final stretch and Merrens said the Upper Valley Land Trust hopes to get everything wrapped up by June before interest kicks in on the loan.
“None of this comes together without partnerships,” Merrens said.
Editor’s note: To learn more about the project and how to donate, visit uvlt.org.
Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.
