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Shelby’s Walk for Wilderness and Woodbury Mountain

Shelby Perry, Wildlands Ecology Director, completed a Walk for Wilderness back in October to raise funds for Woodbury Mountain. Her work has paid off: the Wilderness Trust has officially purchased the 5,459 acres in Vermont this month.

This acquisition initiates the creation of a new Wilderness Preserve, only half an hour from the Wilderness Trust’s main office in Montpelier, the capitol city of Vermont. The future is exciting, but the campaign is not yet over.

Accomplishing the first step to creating Woodbury Mountain Wilderness Preserve inspires celebration. Below, you can experience the land virtually to celebrate this tremendous milestone in the conservation project.

Shelby’s Walk for Wilderness motivated many to contribute to the cause and virtually accompany her during the event.

Now that the walk is over, you too can follow her traverse through this unique StoryMap, created by Hannah Epstein, Stewardship Coordinator. The StoryMap allows you to scroll through photos of key moments along Shelby’s journey and trace the route of the Worcester-to-Kingdom wildlife corridor.

Before departing on this 80 mile expedition, Shelby and Vermont Master Naturalist, Alicia Daniel, spoke about the importance of wildlife corridors. Join them on an autumn hike through the forests and streams of Vermont by watching the video below.

This Wilderness Preserve compromises 5,459 acres. The old-growth forests within the property will provide habitat for wildlife and store large amounts of carbon, making the air cleaner, and wildlife populations healthier.

You can read more about Woodbury Mountain in this VT Digger article!

The Wilderness Trust is accepting donations for the conservation and ongoing stewardship of Woodbury Mountain Wilderness Preserve. Now that the land is purchased, we are working to place a conservation easement on the land and fully fund its stewardship for the long term. Your support will help ensure the forever-wild future of this special place.

To read more about Woodbury Mountain Wilderness Preserve and to donate, click below.

Photography: Winter landscape by Jon Leibowitz | Shelby in the winter forest by Bob Linck| Autumn wetland and Sphagnum moss by Shelby Perry