The Buffalo Mountain Town Forest Steering Committee has developed a survey to gauge public priorities for a proposed 329-acre town forest on Buffalo Mountain in Hardwick. The survey is available online and in paper form, with responses due by July 13.
The committee formed in June and held four meetings that month to organize, tour the property, and create the survey. According to a summary of the June 9 meeting, fundraising by Northern Rivers Land Trust and the Trust for Public Land (TPL) has raised $800,000 toward the project. An ecological assessment by L.E. Environmental is just beginning, and a forest management plan is underway with consultant Emily Sayers, who will coordinate with the committee through late fall.
The survey asks respondents to rank four use categories: recreation, education and land use demonstration, natural resources and habitat, and timber and forest products. Additional sections cover preferred features, activities, buildings, events, funding, and respondent information.
Committee member Leif Goldberg wrote in a Front Porch Forum post that “the future of the town forest will be determined by the community” and encouraged all interested parties, including children and non-residents, to fill out the survey.
The survey can be completed online at forms.gle/AnZVBnH7PWrSXKZc8; paper copies are available at the Jeudevine Memorial Library and the Hardwick Town Clerk’s office. The deadline is July 13.
A tour of the proposed forest on June 14 included committee members, advisors from TPL and Northern Rivers Land Trust, and community members. The group explored areas off Atkins Field, along the Lamoille River via Wright Farm Road, and an old orchard on the upper slopes.
The committee will meet twice monthly on the second and fourth Tuesdays at 6 p.m. in the Parker Ladd Room at the Jeudevine Memorial Library.
Originally reported by Hardwick Gazette.
Photo: Heidi Eblinger via Pexels. Photo is illustrative and not from the scene.
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