In 2022, the Carse Family began a conversation about a conservation opportunity on their property adjacent to the Hinesburg Town Forest. The 291 acres north of Lincoln Hill Rd include rare natural communities, vernal pools, and established trails that connect networks from Sleepy Hollow to Carse Hills. The addition of these acres to the Hinesburg Town Forest established a conversation easement on the enlarged forest, thereby ensuring the ongoing natural, historic, and recreational value of 1,125 acres of forest land.

In 2022, HLT and Vermont Land Trust worked with the Ballard Family to conserve their 177 acre working farm. The project preserved viable farm land in Hinesburg, established riparian buffers for a tributary of the LaPlatte River, and connected adjacent conserved land including Geprag’s Park to protect over 1,000 contiguous acres.

In 2007, 301 acres were conserved from the Bissonette Farm which became the LaPlatte Headwaters Town Forest. This property contains both open and forested land and the Hinesburg headwaters of the LaPlatte River. The forest’s conservation provides many benefits, including habitat for rare and endangered species; flood storage capacity; an established trail network; and public land close to Hinesburg Community School.

Keeping agriculture as a part of our heritage is crucial, and conservation efforts ensure that farming will continue to be a part of the landscape and economy of Hinesburg. In 2003, HLT worked with Vermont Land Trust to facilitate the preservation of 224 acres of prime agricultural land in southern Hinesburg that allowed agriculture to continue on this 100 year-old farm.

In 2001, the Hinesburg Land Trust acquired 144 acres on Lincoln Hill adjacent to the state-owned 1150 acres of the Fred Johnson Wildlife Management Area. With the 850 acres of the Hinesburg Town Forest nearby, HLT protected the wildlife corridor between these publicly held parcels to ensure that habitat is not further fragmented by development. A VAST trail on this property also ensures that this network of snowmobile trails can continue to function. The parcel has now been turned over to the VT Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The Gillespie property is 37 acres of peaceful, wooded land, with hiking and skiing trails and also a tucked-away pond loaded with amphibians in the summer. Together with the adjoining state-owned Copp-Welch I and II properties there are over 150 acres, with trails through mixed hardwood forests, open meadows and spectacular rocky cliffs. These properties were acquired by the HLT with the assistance of local residents and partner conservation groups. These trails and the wonderful walking along Gilman Road, Lewis Creek Road and Turkey Lane offer recreational opportunities year-round. Click here for a trail map; you may also obtain maps from the Recreation office at Town Hall.