The Worcesters to Northeastern Highlands Wildlife Linkage

Project description (English)

Vermont Route 12 and the Worcester mountain range are part of a larger wildlife corridor of over one million acres called the, “Worcesters to Northeastern Highlands Linkage.” This is an ecoregionally significant forested connection between core forests that allows for wildlife movement and genetic exchange across populations as the climate changes. For over fifteen years, conservation of the Worcesters to Northeastern Highlands has been coordinated through the Staying Connected Initiative, led by a multitude of motivated individuals, town planners, and NGO's working alongside state and federal agencies. This multi-pronged approach to conservation has included many different strategies at many different scales including conservation science, land protection, land use planning, road barrier mitigation, and outreach & education. Strategic actions like private and public land conservation, town planning, and new transportation infrastructure have all revolved around the goal of keeping these forests intact, connected, and diverse. By using the best available science, these partners have successfully protected wildlife connectivity on the binational scale.

Project description (French)

Main contact organization for the project

Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department

Partner organization(s)

Vermont Natural Resources Council

Vermont Agency of Transportation

Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation

Vermont River Conservancy

Stowe Land Trust

Trust for Public Land

Northeast Wilderness Trust

Forest Legacy Program

Vermont Land Trust

Part of larger network(s)

Staying Connected Initiave (SCI)

Project status

Underway

Start year of project

2009

Primary ecosystem focus

Forested

Connectivity action

Corridors network design

Core priority area designation

Mitigation of infrastructure impacts

Research (Field evaluation of connectivity)

Policy and governance

Land protection

Land use planning

Standard keywords

Corridors

Stepping stone

Transportation (roads, rails, bridges, culverts)

Wildlife cameras

Taxonomic Coverage

Mammals

Birds

Amphibians

Geographical coverage

Jurisdiction(s)

Vermont

Lamoille, Washington

Location name

Route 12 Corridor