Babysitter Swamp

Jericho and Richmond, Vermont
30 acres
Forever-Wild Easement; Completed Project

Photo © by Susan C. Morse

This property has been the subject of intense wildlife study for more than thirty years. In 2003 it was purchased for permanent protection by naturalist and wildlife tracking expert Susan Morse, who partnered with the Northeast Wilderness Trust to place a forever-wild conservation easement on this 30-acre property. Babysitter Swamp is named for the old growth hemlock and mature white pine refuge trees which provide a safe haven for bear cubs while their mothers feed in the wetlands below during the spring. Moose, mink, deer, otter, fisher, bobcat, and beaver also use the property.

The conservation of Babysitter Swamp is part of a larger, landscape-scale conservation effort known as the Chittenden County Uplands Conservation Project, which aims to conserve the ecological integrity and rural character of the northeastern uplands of rapidly growing Chittenden County. The initiative was launched in response to the massive development threat facing this area and preserve the region’s critical ecological resources and wildlife habitat. The Babysitter Swamp property is maintained as wild, is used by landowner permission for educational programs, and is managed in conjunction with two neighboring conservation parcels of several hundred acres.

• About Northeast Wilderness Trust

  The Northeast Wilderness Trust works to conserve forever-wild landscapes for nature and people. As the only land trust in the Northeast dedicated exclusively to protecting land as wilderness, the organization uses various land conservation tools and often works with conservation partners including other land trusts. The Trust protects wild places in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, eastern New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.

  + Our privacy policy

• Active Projects

  IN PROGRESS: Bridgewater Hollow Bramhall Preserve Alder Stream Wilderness Preserve Split Rock Wildway
  See All Projects

• Contact Us

  Mailing Address
  17 State Street, Suite 302
  Montpelier, VT 05602
  Phone
  802.224.1000
  Email
  cathleen@newildernesstrust.org

  Connect