Conserved Properties (Map)
The Bingham Farm is along Otter Creek south of Middlebury and was conserved by VLT. MALT holds a trail easement along the eastern edge of the property, which may be used for recreational purposes in the future. The farm contains tilled fields, woodlands and a 9.4 acre special treatment area of state-significant clayplain forest.
This parcel is along the south side of the Middlebury River in East Middlebury. MALT holds the easement, which will preserve the shoreline and floodplain as natural areas and habitats, and allow the river to meander back and forth.
The Tillman Farm property is currently the home of "Moonlit Alpacas" and encompasses 331 acres. Most of this is agricultural land, but there is also 23 acreas of woodland, 42 acres of wetland including some forested wetlands, an archaeological zone, a section of Beaver Brook and frontage on the Lemon Fair River. MALT holds a trail easement.
This parcel is along the Middlebury River in East Middlebury and was conserved by MALT in partnership with the Town of Middlebury. MALT purchased a parcel on the north shore of the river with a grant from the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources River Management Program. It will preserve the shoreline and floodplain as natural areas and habitats, and allow the river to meander back and forth. Ultimately, the River Conservancy may hold the conservation easement.
The Wright Farm, located along Cady Rd., was conserved as a cooperative effort between Alice Wright, MALT, and VLT. The land has been in the family since the 1960's, and is currently farmed by the Foster Brothers dairy farm. The farm easement is held by VLT; MALT holds a trail easement.
The Elmer farm, located in East Middlebury and bordering Case Street, was protected in 2006 as a partnership with the Vermont Land Trust (VLT). It was the first farm that was bought and resold as part of VLT’s farm access program. Its conservation was the culmination of years of effort by those who enabled this family farm to be kept forever as farmland. The 90-acre farm contains both cropland and woodland as well as a traditional farmhouse and historic red barn. A trail runs along the southern half of the property and will provide an opportunity for public recreational use. Jennifer and Spencer Blackwell will be continuing this legacy from their beginnings in the Intervale as bean and grain farmers.
The Foote Farm was an active dairy farm until the 1970’s. Peter Foote inherited the property and wanted to conserve the history and culture of the land by restricting a majority for agricultural conservation. Part of the property will be occupied by 22 building lots, but the remaining acres are predominately farm fields. The Foote property is a working farm leased to a local farmer and is currently used exclusively to grow organic alfalfa. The rest of the property is clayplain forest and has not been used for timber harvesting. The Foote Farm’s rural quality and agricultural use is important to preserving Addison County’s rural idyll.
Otter View Park - 15 acres - 2005
MALT celebrated the groundbreaking of Otter View Park in October 2006. Located at the corner of Weybridge Street and Pulp Mill Bridge Road, the property is split by the Middlebury/Weybridge town line. The area will be maintained as a public park, providing recreation and educational opportunities for the community, as well as protecting and enhancing the valuable natural resources existing on the property. Basic amenities and universally accessible paths will provide the public with opportunities for wildlife observation, bird watching, walking, biking and other outdoor activites. The land will retain its rural feeling and spectacular views. Further developments are being made this spring, and by summer of 2008 Phase I of the effort will be complete.
This 56-acre property lies in the town of Weybridge on the south side of Route 23. The property was subdivided into six lots, five of which are conserved. The entire property was mowed for hay until 20 years ago, when it was converted to pasture, and then the majority was returned to hay land in 2002. The property is mostly open with a small floodplain and wooded area. The Roper-Ganley acres form in link in an envisioned “greenbelt” within Champlain Valley.
New Haven Valley View is a joint project of the Champlain Valley Greenbelt Alliance and the MALT. It seeks to maintain a sweeping vista along Route 7 in New Haven of the Bristol Cliffs and Green Mountains. The 60-acre property was slated for development until MALT and CVGA raised the necessary funds to protect it and help keep Vermont open and scenic. Seven million people travel Route 7 each year. This view, along with one in Shelburne, preserved by the Dexter Fund were noted as two of the most important individual vistas seen from Route 7 between Burlington and Middlebury. It is the hope of many that this project and others will keep some views along Route 7 and other highway corridors open and free from development.
This forested property on the Leicester River, owned by MALT, contains the ruins of mills and associated mill ponds. Intensive use of this site during the second half of the nineteenth century for various industries (iron forges and woolen, spindle, and pulp mills) is hinted at by the last standing relics of that era. The property has ironically returned to a state that reflects the preheritage of the site as a "forest primeval", and will be managed to protect its natural and historical resources and for public education and outdoor recreation. In the future, parking and a public access point will be provided.
Conserved in 2004, the Swallow Barn Orchard can be seen from the west campus of Middlebury College. The property is protected to provide an uninterrupted scenic view of the ridgeline. It contains an orchard, homestead, bunkhouse and beautiful transition hardwoods limestone forest, the largest section of which is protected as a no-cut zone. Limited development of this parcel will be allowed according to strict guidelines.
The 245-acre Butterfield Farm was protected in partnership with the Vermont Land Trust (VLT) and lies on the both sides of the Middlebury/New Haven town line near Cobble Hill Road. The property consists of pasture, tillable land, woodland, a wetland and a farmstead complex. MALT also holds a trail easement that crosses the property on the Middlebury side of the town line. The currently unopened trail will be maintained for public recreational use.
This 105-acre part of the old Cornwall Family Farm, located south of Middlebury on the west side of Halladay Rd., was protected in July 2001. In 1992 the original Cornwall property was divided into six lots, two of which were purchases by Berthiaume Brothers, Inc. One lot was developed for residential housing, the other protected forever as a joint property to support forestry and agricultural objectives in perpetuity.
This property was conserved by Stephen Rockefeller, then transferred to the Otter Creek Child Center to preserve the shores of Otter Creek as open, scenic and natural. The land was protected in 2001 and covers from the shore to 200 feet upland of the Creek; it is located on Weybridge Street.
Previously, this land was the main holding of the Otter Creek Gorge Land Trust, whose three trustees, Willard T. Jackson, Linda O. Johnson and Steven Rockefeller, gifted the preserve to MALT. The preserve is an important natural heritage site that showcases Champlain Valley ecosystems. In addition, the open fields and meadows are currently used for agricultural purposes. Protecting the preserve's ecological integrity is MALT's primary stewardship objective. Guided natural history walks are scheduled annually, and pulbic access via the Trail Around Middlebury begins at the parking area on Horse Farm Rd., 0.2 miles north of Hamilton Rd., and via Belden Falls Rd.
Gagnon-Cloutier Easement- 440 acres - 1999
This property was protected by a partnership of Vermont Land Trust, Vermont Housing Conservation Board and MALT, and consists of 440 acres of important farm and forestland and also preserves open vistas for several miles along Route 7 in the town of Salisbury. The property is currently owned and operated by the Nop brothers who manage a herd of dairy cows, and the easement is held by VLT.
Powerhouse Project - 0.1 acres - Middlebury, VT - 1998
This is a potential project to renovate a historic stone building known as the Powerhouse. Located at the base of Otter Creek Falls in the center of Middlebury, this building served as a power generating station for decades. More recently, it has fallen into disrepair, but because of its historic significance and location it clearly has tremendous potential. Our vision is to transform it into an attractive observation deck for viewing the powerful Otter Creek Falls as well as an interpretive display of Middlebury’s rich industrial history.
Jeffrey Murdock Nature Preserve - 16 acres - 1997
This 16-acre preserve, located off of Route 7 across from the Middlebury Union Middle School, was given as a gift by Joan Wilson to the MALT in honor of her son, Jeff. The preserve contains a section of the Trail Around Middlebury, and a loop trail passes by an old stone foundation; relics from the era of quarrying stones from geologic deposits. The preserve provides a greenbelt along Route 7 south of town, and middle school students use the property in academic and recreational pursuits.
Candido Easement - 1995
The Candido property is located on Creek Road in southern Middlebury and is protected with two easements. The southern half of the property is forested, dominated by sensitive clayplain forest. The remaining parcels are predominantly farm fields with some riparian succession woodlands along the banks of Otter Creek.
The Schley property is located next to the Seeley and the Berthiaume property and has potential for a public access trail that could connect to a greater trail network. Conserved in 1994, the 10-acre property is a single-family homesite on Halladay Road. It is entirely forested, occupied by a young and wildflower-laden successional forest and bordered by a swamp.
The Marbleworks property is a joint project with MALT, the Town of Middlebury and the Otter Creek Audubon Society. The property, protected in September 1994 under conservation easement, encompasses approximately 4 acres; it is an important riparian zone along the east shore of Otter Creek to 50 feet upland of the toe of the slope. The property lies along Otter Creek to the west of the new Marbleworks Residences between the Salzburg Seminar building and the Addison Press. The possibility of opening the area up for public access will be pursued.
Cornwall 1 - Hathaway Easement - 11.3 acres - 1992
The old Cornwall Farm is located south of Middlebury on the east side of Halladay Rd., and was protected in 1992. The property was part of the original holding of the Cornwall family. This 11 acres is owned separately with one house site.
Cornwall 2 - Bilodeau Easement - 5 acres - 1992
Lot 2: This 5-acre residential lot will be subject to a no-subdivide restriction and building limits.
Cornwall 3 - Saward Easement - 2.6 acres - 1992
Lot 3 of the old Cornwall Farm also contains a house site.
The Butler property was protected in June of 1991 and marked the first time that MALT was involved in conserving a parcel of land as a byproduct of the subdivision process. A larger parcel was divided into nine house lots and the remaining land, most of which is farmland, is protected. The 50-acre property straddles Cobble Road; 27 acres lie in Middlebury and 23 acres in New Haven.
This working farm was rated high priority in a Land Protection study and has been protected since 1990. An important agricultural resource, this property was the first property MALT conserved as a byproduct of a partnership with the Vermont Housing Conservation Board, or VHCB. It encompasses 631 acres, including a house site, and is located along Shard Villa Road, Halladay Road, Blake Roy Road, Three Mile Bridge Road and Creek Road. The farmhouse originally on the property is Federal style, built in 1830 and is in the State Register of Historic Places, as it is the second oldest house in Middlebury still standing.
