Pownal, Vt., secures final piece of major timberland acquisition, granting public access to hundreds of acres

The Pownal, Vt. to Strobridge Recreation Area road closure was held June 27 at the Pownal Town Hall. Present at the signing, from left to right, seated: Jonathan Cohen, Esq.; Sean O’Donovan; Tara Parks, Pownal executive assistant; Michael Gardner, chairman of the Select Board; and Robert M. Fisher, Esq.

Mark Rondeau – Bennington Banner

POWNAL, Vt. — The city completed a major acquisition June 27 when it finalized the purchase of a right-of-way that will allow the public access to a large parcel of forest land along the Taconic Mountains in North Pownal.

The area is also known as Strobridge Recreation Area. Officials closed the right-of-way deal with Sean O’Donovan at City Hall.

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“This is the final piece of a puzzle that started many years ago when the city of Pownal acquired about 700 acres from the former Pownal Tanning Co.,” said City Council President Mike Gardner. “We had a piece of land with no solid way to get to it.”

In 2023, with the help of a $265,000 grant from the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, the city purchased another 300 acres of forest and a legal corridor from Dean Road to the property, which had no legal right of way since Tropical Storm Irene washed away the forest road in 2011.

The Vermont Land Trust helped the city acquire additional land and rights-of-way and has a conservation easement on the property. The Land Trust also helped acquire the original tannery site in 2002.

“When we had the opportunity to acquire the Boyce property, which is over 300 acres, I felt we couldn’t pass it up,” Gardner said. “That’s where the work began, and we needed a deed to the whole piece.”

LT1 — Pownal, Vt., completed a major acquisition June 27 when it closed on the purchase of rights-of-way to access an urban forest along the Taconic Range in North Pownal. The forest area is also called Strobridge Recreation Area. Officials closed on the purchase of rights-of-way with Sean O’Donovan at City Hall.

Vermont Land Trust

He added, “This has been a long process and without the individuals and groups involved, it would not have been possible. The possibilities for this property are endless and limited only by the imagination of the future board members and our residents, as well as our Parks and Recreation Committee. I would like to publicly thank all those involved.”

With this latest purchase, city officials will be able to create a legal corridor from Dean Road to the recreation area, which runs along the base of the Taconic Range and near the 37-mile Taconic Crest Hiking Trail.

Gardner thanked board assistant Tara Parks, city treasurer Ellen Strohmaier, administrative assistant Hannah Darling, Sean O’Donovan, past and present board members who were involved, the Vermont Land Trust, the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, the Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative and an anonymous donor.

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“I know I miss people and groups and I’m really sorry about that, but I think it’s just that this was a big project that took a lot of perseverance and effort from a lot of groups and people,” Gardner said. “Again, the possibilities are endless and limited only by the imagination and effort it takes to make them happen.”

According to a Vermont Land Trust press release from last year, the 1,000-acre recreation area “boasts an intact network of forest roads, well-managed forest, nearly two miles of important Hoosic River tributary and extraordinary ecological features.”