Within the last year, the VRC protected three parcels (a total of 550 acres) on Irish Hill in Berlin.

"Hey, wait a minute," you might be thinking, "just what is the VRC doing protecting a ridgeline"?

Well, this particular ridgeline towers above the Dog River to its north, and Berlin Pond to its south. Berlin Pond, one of the only large ponds in central Vermont whose shorelines remain undeveloped, has been the drinking water supply for the City of Montpelier for more than a hundred years.

What's more, over a century of restrictions on use of the Pond and its shoreline (to protect the drinking water) has created a unique natural area with a complex blend of open water and high-quality wetlands that attracts waterfowl and provides nesting habitat for many species of birds, including nesting loons and pied-billed grebes. Berlin Pond also hosts a surprising diversity of aquatic plants and a significant northern white cedar swamp community. In 1998, the Vermont State Office of the National Audubon Society designated Berlin Pond as an Important Bird Area.

In partnership with the Berlin Conservation Commission, Montpelier Conservation Commission, and the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation, the VRC protected access to the mountain and helped protect this important watershed at the same time.

Loons, moose, osprey, acres of lush wetlands, drinking water—all depend on the land beyond the water itself. All depend on the watershed.

When the ridgeline properties came up for sale (and development plans were in the works), a group of committed local individuals went into action, forming the Irish Hill Ridgeline Protection Group. They joined forces with the Berlin and Montpelier Conservations Commissions. The group called the VRC. When the request for assistance came, the VRC decided to go to bat, leading the three conservation transactions and raising the funds necessary to protect the watershed AND the great scenic value of the ridgeline, while creating many recreational benefits to the community.

page updated 5/14/08 by Zephyr Sites

These first projects to protect the Berlin Pond watershed and the Irish Hill Ridgeline were accomplished through an impressive array of support from many places: grants from VHCB, the Vermont Watershed Grant Program, the Vermont Recreation and Trails Grant Program, the VT Agency of Transportation Enhancements Program, the Norcross Wildlife Foundation, and the Fields Pond Foundation. More than $20,000 from local individuals and businesses and the Town of Berlin's Conservation Fund (initiated by the Berlin Conservation Commission) made the work possible.

The two successful projects add to and begin to connect the Boyer State Forest and the Berlin Town Forest. The Town of Berlin and State of Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation will share management responsibilities.

The projects have also catalyzed additional conservation work. The Vermont Land Trust is now negotiating with several landowners who want to help bring their properties into protection and add to the effort.

In the Irish Hill Ridgeline/Berlin Pond Watershed project, the VRC was the driving force behind protecting the headwaters of Berlin Pond and the Dog River.

This will be a model for similar headwaters protection efforts throughout the state in coming years.

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