With Support from the Open Space Institute, Nearly 500 Acres Are Protected in the Champlain Valley

ESSEX COUNTY, NY (Jan. 21, 2020) - The Open Space Institute (OSI) and the Lake Champlain Land Trust (LCLT) today announced the conservation of two forested properties in the Champlain Valley. The protected parcels, which together total close to 500 acres, improve forest connectivity and provide additional wildlife habitat near Baldface Mountain Preserve and Trembleau Mountain.

“Through these lands, OSI is continuing its commitment to protecting the scenic beauty of the Champlain Valley,” said Kim Elliman, president and CEO of the Open Space Institute. “Success stories like these highlight the conservation work achieved through strong partnerships and the generosity and support of donors.”

“We are so grateful to the landowners and OSI for partnering with us to protect these critical forestlands,” noted Chris Boget, Executive Director of LCLT. “These important conservation efforts advance several of the Lake Champlain Land Trust's regional conservation goals, including protecting wildlife habitat, conserving scenic beauty, and safeguarding the Lake's water quality.”

The “Baldface Mountain Addition” and “Trembleau Mountain Addition” both protect the scenic viewshed of the Champlain Valley and were permanently protected with the help of local donors.

Baldface Mountain

The Baldface Mountain Addition project includes more than 350 acres adjacent to Baldface Mountain Preserve in the town of Chesterfield, Essex County. This private working forest is situated within a large forested block of wildlife habitat that connects the Champlain Valley to the Adirondack High Peaks, and the newly protected property is visible from several vantage points, including the popular fire tower on Poke-O-Moonshine Mountain.

Including this latest addition, OSI has worked with the Johanson family to protect more than 2,750 acres in this area, more than tripling the protected lands of the Baldface Mountain Preserve. Now, the Baldface Mountain Preserve totals over 3,100 acres.

OSI first collaborated with the Johansons in 2009 to conserve 1400 acres of the Johanson family’s forestland, and again in 2012 to conserve another 1356 acres, this time thanks to support from the Klipper Family Fund for the Champlain Valley. The Klipper Family Fund has facilitated the protection of more than 2,220 acres of forest and farmland in the Champlain Valley since 2012.

Trembleau Mountain

The Trembleau Mountain Addition project consists of more than 134 acres of undeveloped, private woodlands that are now protected under a conservation easement generously donated by Andy and Kathy Prescott to protect the land for wildlife, water quality, and scenic viewshed protection.

The newly protected property is adjacent to more than 600 acres of Trembleau Mountain that were conserved by OSI and LCLT in 2017. In 2018, OSI and LCLT worked with the Prescott family for the first time to protect 57 acres near the mountain’s summit.

“We are happy that the entire Trembleau Mountain natural vista on Lake Champlain, from Port Douglass to Port Kent, is now preserved. For the past 50 years the conservation of this property was always something that concerned us,” said landowners Kathy and Andy Prescott. “Thanks to our collaboration with OSI, LCLT, and New York State, the permanent protection of this land has become a reality, and we are proud to know we played a part in making it happen.”

As working forest projects, there is no public access to the Baldface Mountain and Trembleau Mountain additions. Both properties are now being stewarded by LCLT.

About the Open Space Institute

The Open Space Institute protects scenic, natural and historic landscapes to provide public enjoyment, conserve habitat and working lands and sustain communities. Founded in 1974 to protect significant landscapes in New York State, OSI has been a partner in the protection of nearly 2.2 million acres in North America. A leader in environmental conservation, OSI leverages its knowledge and attracts resources for strategic investments to make innovative land conservation happen. Visit OSI online at www.openspaceinstitute.org.

About the Lake Champlain Land Trust

The Lake Champlain Land Trust works with communities and individuals, in partnership with colleagues, to conserve the wildlife habitats, shorelands, islands, parks, farms, forests, and natural areas of Lake Champlain. Since 1978, the Lake Champlain Land Trust has conserved 17 islands, 23 miles of shoreline, and more than 11,500 acres—including more than 25 public access natural areas. To learn more about our conservation work in New York and Vermont, visit www.lclt.org.