Current Projects
We center our work on four key initiatives: Loving our Forests and Farms; Expanding Recreation for All; Creating Healthy Habitats; and Creating Community Connections.
To learn more about our priorities, read our 5-year strategic plan.
Adams Camp Connector: Let’s Connect Stowe!
11/27/24 Update: Goal met! We have officially raised the funds needed to conserve the Adams Camp Connector. Thank you! With the funds in place, Stowe Land Trust will move forward to purchase and conserve the land, and continue working with our trail partners to plan a new three-season trail and improve and reroute existing winter trails. Stay tuned for updates in 2025.
The Adams Camp Connector is an 85-acre parcel connecting two large areas of previously conserved land: the Bouchard Farm and Adams Camp. This conservation project will protect important connections for recreationists and wildlife movement from the Little River to the eastern slopes of Mt. Mansfield.
From a recreation perspective, it’s a golden opportunity.For the first time, hikers, bikers and skiers will be able to enjoy uninterrupted trail access from Mt. Mansfield State Forest to the Village of Stowe. In addition, the new, multi-use trail will alleviate usage pressures on Brook Road.
Recreation, however, is not the sole benefit. Identified as a “high priority area” by Vermont Conservation Design, this parcel is considered critical to protecting intact forested habitat, healthy aquatic and riparian systems, and a diverse ecosystem on which plant and animal communities depend.
Planning for Wildlife and Trails
Adams Camp has long been near the heart of Stowe's outdoor culture. It is home to a growing trail network enjoyed by thousands every year for hiking, running, moutain bike riding, wildlife observation, skiing, and more. It's 513-acres of forests also provide essential habitat for wildlife, among many other ecological values.
In 2023, Stowe Land Trust partnered with the University of Vermont's Field Naturalist Program and Stowe Trails Partnership to assess Adams Camp's ecology and trails. In 2024, Stowe Land Trust alongside key partners and the property's landowner are working on a sustainable recreation management plan for the forest's future which is informed by the results of the study.
Expanding Recreation for All
Did you know that 80% of the more than 7,100 acres of land and water we have protected is open for public access, including all six properties Stowe Land Trust owns and manages: Wiessner Woods, Kirchner Woods, DuMont Meadow, the Mill Trail, Page Forest, and Shutesville Ledges?
Our commitment to conserved land doesn't stop once a place is protected: we're out in the field year-round making sure its trails are in great shape, and its conservation values are being protected.
This year, we're giving SLT-owned lands some extra TLC. From puncheon replacement and culvert cleaning to assessing trails for accessibility improvements, we are working with partners, individuals, and groups of volunteers to make your experience outdoors even better. Interested in getting involved? Visit our Volunteer page to learn more about how you, your friends and family, and your workplace can help us keep Stowe special.
Making Every Kid an Outdoor Kid
Learning Landscapes is a national effort which aims to build more accessible outdoor classrooms within a 10-minute walk of schools and to support educators in utilizing those classrooms year-round for interdisciplinary instruction. These spaces and supports will allow teachers to bring their lessons outdoors – deepening the connections between their students and the place they live, and providing numerous benefits for student learning, behavior, and development. Local educators and schools are looking for ways to instill a sense of place in their students, and to help them get outside more often, but are faced with many competing needs and limited resources. As a trusted partner of local schools, summer camps, and afterschool programs, Stowe Land Trust is uniquely positioned to help meet their needs. Through the Learning Landscapes collaboration we are strengthening our commitment to the next generation.
Learning Landscapes at Stowe Land Trust is continuously evolving and helping every kid be an outdoor kid.
Learn more about the Learning Landscapes collaboration.