For $1.1 million, a state park in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom just got bigger.
Vermont’s Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, along with the Vermont Land Trust, announced Wednesday that they had raised the funds to add the 15-acre island in Island Pond Lake, as well as a 3-acre stretch of lakeshore, to the adjacent Brighton State Park.
The purchase brings the island under state management, guaranteeing public access and protecting its natural resources. The lakeshore parcel will be used by staff to get to and from the property.
“This is a really unique expansion. We don’t offer many islands in our parks, ” said Gannon Osborn, who manages land conservation projects for the Forests, Parks and Recreation department.
The island, a forested shoe print shape in the northeast corner of the lake, is an integral part of the Brighton community, according to Osborn. In the summer, kayakers paddle out to picnic on its sandy beach. Ice skaters glide across to it when the lake freezes in the winter.
The island is also home to an ecologically important red pine forest and serves as a nesting and breeding habitat for bald eagles and loons.
“This is not something you see in many areas, so it’s significant for us to protect it,” Osborn said.
A family trust owned the island for years, allowing visitors and leaving the forest untouched. In 2021, however, the island went up for sale on the open market. Had it been bought by a private individual or corporation, the new owner would have had the right to raze trees, erect buildings, and restrict the public’s access.
The Vermont Land Trust, a nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving land, approached the Forests, Parks and Recreation department to propose a partnership. According to Osborn, the state had long been interested in incorporating the land into Brighton State Park.
“I was looking through some project files and we had been looking at this island back in 1993,” Osborn said.
By May 2023, the department had secured a contract for the property. Grants from the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board and the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund raised over $1 million, about 93% of the total goal. Community members and area businesses donated the approximately $76,000 still remaining.
“Projects like this require a mix of partners. The community really stepped up,” said Abby White, Vice President for Engagement at the Vermont Land Trust.
One of the conditions of the grant given by the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board was that a conservation easement be placed on the island. This is a legally binding agreement that permanently protects land from development, regardless of whether it changes hands in the future.
Noah Bond, the town manager for Brighton, was ecstatic when he heard the news of the purchase. He said he hoped the expansion of the state park would draw new visitors to town.
“We want to capitalize on that bit of the tourist economy,” said Bond.
The island is a landmark in Brighton, dominating the view from downtown in Island Pond village. Bond is thankful that it will remain uninhabited for the foreseeable future. After all, the best view of all is from his office in the town hall.
“There’s this bald eagle that comes through every year like clockwork,” Bond said. “We’re blessed that this is being protected.”
Read the story on VTDigger here: Island purchase expands state park in the Northeast Kingdom .