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INTERIM
MANAGEMENT PLAN
Wu Ledges Municipal Forest Waitsfield, VT Goal of the Management Plan The Waitsfield Conservation Commission has prepared this Interim Management Plan for the purpose of informing the Vermont Land Trust Stewardship Office of its preliminary plans with respect to management of the Wu Ledges Municipal Forest. This plan is intended to guide management activities for approximately the next 18 - 24 months, during which a longer-range ten-year management plan will be developed. Property Description The 125-acre heavily forested property is located just south of the village of Waitsfield and east of Route #100 and the Mad River. Terrain varies from level to steep and is characterized as a series of bedrock terraces rising easterly of the Mad River. A small open area abuts the Mad River. Most of the parcel (114 acres) is a mapped (by the VT Dept. of Fish & Wildlife) as Deer Wintering Area. Maps depicting the property and other data are found in the Town of Waitsfield municipal records. Access Access to Wu Ledges is via two routes: 1) A 50' wide easement from near the end of Pine Hill Lane, off TH #1 (the East Warren Road). 2) A 50' wide strip of land abutting Route #100. This land is part of the Wu Ledges property, but has limitations in that it leads to a ford in the Mad River and then directly on to the property. Use of this access is subject to laws and regulations applicable to stream crossings. The Town owns properties adjacent to, and north (Austin) and south (Lareau) of the 50' wide strip. Access to Wu Ledges via these lands has not been explored and, except for foot travel, would likely not be considered. Current Physical Improvements The only physical improvements to the property are logging and recreation trails resulting from prior forest management and recreational trail development activities. Proposed Physical Improvements No new physical improvements are proposed at this time. Management of the Property Management and permitted uses will be consistent with the provisions of the Grant of Development Rights, Conservation Restrictions and Public Access Easement applicable to the property. Interim specific management actions are as follows:
Presently these uses do not create problems involving litter, erosion or other concerns. If the monitoring does identify damage to the land, the Commission will take action to notify the public through means such as signage and articles in the local newspaper. In the case of failure to control damages, the Commission and/or Selectboard may temporarily close any or all trails until the problems can be resolved. Site Analysis: The Commission is hesitant to move beyond the above-referenced actions, or to proceed with development of a long-range management plan until more is known about the natural resources/features of Wu Ledges. In that regard, the Commission applied for a Community Planning/Educational Grant from the VT Dept. of Forests, Parks and Recreation. The application was favorably received, and grant of $900 has been awarded from the Trees for Local Communities Cost-Share Program. This grant together with funds provided to the Commission through the town budget process will be used to conduct a natural communities inventory for the property. In that the Town owns the small Austin (4.9 acres) and Lareau Swimhole parcels abutting Wu Ledges, plus another 6.9 acre property (Tardy) very nearby, the inventory will also include these properties. (See attached map.) Data relative to the Wu, Austin and Tardy parcels will be considered in preparation of long-range management plans for these properties. The Lareau Swimhole is a town park, and the Planning Commission and Selectboard have management responsibility for this land. Upon receipt of the report, the process of preparing a ten-year management plan will begin. That process will include further analyses, public education and input. Contact Person Waitsfield Conservation Commission, c/o Mark Grosby, Chairman, Valley Professional Center, 6971 Main St., Waitsfield, VT 05673, 802-496-6692, FAX 496-6170, lawyer@madriver.com. September 22, 2005 Links (off-site links will open in a separate window)
Waitsfield Conservation Commission Waitsfield Town Office 9 Bridge Street Waitsfield, VT 05673 Phone: (802) 496-2218 Updated November 16, 2007
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