North Branch Headwaters
Name of Project: North Branch Headwaters
Location: Elmore, VT
River: North Branch of the Winooski River
Type of Project: Wildlife Habitat, Water Quality Protection, Access to Putnam State Forest
Public Access: Yes
Date Completed: 2007
Size: 69 Acres
Water Frontage: 1,100′
Landowner: Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
Funding Partners: Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, Fields Pond Foundation, Businesses & Individual Donors
Property Description: Located just north of the Worcester/Elmore town line, on the west side of Route 12, these 69 acres provide prime habitat for ambling moose and darting trout. The parcel encompasses the wetlands and river course of the upper reaches of the North Branch along with working timber lands, wildlife resources, recreational use and outstanding scenic qualities. It also provides access to the Putnam State Forest.
Project Background: In the early summer of 2006, a 70-acre parcel of land owned by Green Crow, Inc. was listed for sale. With 2000 feet of road frontage along Route 12, it was advertised as “easily accessible camp or off-grid house site location with a year-round mountain stream and a short drive to Montpelier and Morrisville.” VRC recognized the potential “domino effect” if this piece were to be developed for residential use, endangering traditional uses and natural resources attributes of the lands in the North Branch Headwaters area, and we were able to negotiate a purchase of the property.
Directions: Take Route 12 (Elm Street) North out of Montpelier. Go through the town of Worcester. Approximately 6 miles north of Worcester, just past the Elmore town line, there is a small road on the left that leads up to an old logging landing.
