SHAFTSBURY, Vt. — Nearly 1,200 acres of land in the area of West Mountain in Shaftsbury is now protected with a deal arranged by the Vermont Land Trust.

The trust said it worked with David and Cheryl Mance to conserve the land in Vermont’s Taconic Mountains in southern Vermont.

Another nearly 240 acres will be preserved in Rupert.

Much of the protected land in the larger block is at the top of West Mountain and, with elevations above 2,000 feet, is visible from U.S. Routes 7 and Vermont Route 7A.

“Much of West Mountain has been broken into separate parcels since European colonization,” said the Land Trust’s Donald Campbell. “Protection of the Mance land ensures that a large block will remain whole. We’re prioritizing the conservation of large working forests like these for the many benefits they provide.”

The project protects headwater streams of Paran Creek, Little White Creek and Lake Shaftsbury, wetlands, and a vernal pool, the Vermont Land Trust said.

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