Romance Mountain Wilderness, 15,000 acres
This mountainous land, much of it owned in the early 1900s by philanthropist Joseph Battell, is south of Route 125 in the towns of Hancock, Ripton, and Goshen. The high ridges include Philadelphia Peak, Monastery Mountain, and Romance Mountain. Grindstone, Boyden, and Bingo Brooks are steep, rocky streams carrying some of the cleanest water in Vermont. The area is rich with wildlife, and a joy for hikers and hunters.

Glastenbury Mountain Wilderness, 40,000 acres
This is the largest unbroken tract of land in southern Vermont, and home to the Long Trail and Appalachian Trail. The summit of Glastenbury Mountain offers views of Stratton, Mount Snow, Somerset Reservoir, and more wild, uninhabited land than can be seen from any other place on the Long Trail. This is the future crown jewel of Vermont wilderness.

Lamb Brook Wilderness, 5,000 acres
The singularly beautiful Lamb Brook basin offers a wonderfully quiet and remote setting. It provides important nesting habitat for neotropical migratory songbirds, and critical denning and feeding habitat for black bears.

Additions to Existing Wilderness Areas
Since the passage of the 1984 Vermont Wilderness Act, new land acquisitions and changes in land use have made possible the expansion of three existing wilderness areas. Bristol Cliffs, now 3,685 acres, can be expanded by 200 acres. Breadloaf, now 21,043 acres can be expanded by 9,000 acres; and Lye Brook, now 15,847, can be expanded by 10,000 acres.

National Recreation Areas (NRA)
National Recreation Areas are established to recognize and protect outstanding recreation and natural values. Existing roads and motorized recreation, including snowmobiling, would continue, and commercial logging would be prohibited. The White Rocks NRA (22,730 acres) was established in 1984. Two new NRAs are proposed. The Robert Stafford NRA (38,000 acres) is named in honor of the former Vermont Governor and Senator who championed environmental protection and passage of the 1984 Vermont Wilderness Act. This beautiful southern Vermont area contains miles of snowmobile, hiking, mountain biking, and cross country ski trails, as well as extensive wetlands and clear streams. The Moosalamoo NRA (7,000 acres) provides many of the same opportunities on the northern part of the national forest.

National Conservation Areas (NCA)
National Conservation Areas are established to recognize, protect, and restore an area’s extraordinary ecological values while allowing compatible recreation activity. Existing roads and motorized recreation, including snowmobiling, would continue, and commercial logging would be prohibited.

Proposed for this designation are: Abbey Pond NCA (6,000 acres), Lincoln Ridge NCA (4,000 acres), and The Cape NCA (5,000 acres). These places contain rare remnants of old-growth forests, unusual assemblages of natural communities, high-elevation ridgelines with alpine vegetation, and some of the lands bequeathed by Joseph Battell for protection in their “original and primeval condition.”

The Vermont Wilderness Association relied on extensive fieldwork and U.S. Forest Service data in delineating and computing acreages for these areas. Additional work is needed to investigate jurisdiction of roads, ensure the rights of inholders are fully respected, and adjust the proposed boundaries if necessary.