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By Craig Smith
A remarkable partnership of public, private and non-profit, the coalition includes: the Parks Foundation of Burlington, the Lake Champlain Land Trust, the Episcopal Church in Vermont, and the City of Burlington.
Roughly $468,000 of the money that has flowed into the Coalition Campaign, will go to support Rock Point with conservation, guided public access and the improvement of trails. This includes $209,000 in the sale of conservation easements, about $196,000 in trail improvements, and $63,000 in other costs associated with guided public access. Additionally, another $79,000 from the Partnership Campaign will benefit this stewardship work.
The rebuilding of the trails continues in 2019 and is scheduled for completion in 2020. For ease of access, construction is scheduled for the shoulder seasons. As mentioned above, the universal access trail and parking will be built in Spring 2019. The fall project for 2019 is the section from the Parade Ground to the Champlain Thrust Fault.
The conservation easement for the Western Peninsula of Rock Point and the associated management plan are scheduled for completion in March 2019 and trail sign designs are underway. The income from proceeds of the sale of the Conservation Easement will be restricted to expenses connected with their management.
This project has taken generations of forward-thinking visioning about conservation to come to fruition. Church, city, state, Burlington Parks Foundation and non-profit conservation leaders and resources all have made generous contributions. Dedicated Trustees, Bishops Board members, neighbors, private citizens, conservation groups, public employees, lovers of Rock Point Camp and Rock Point School and those who think of this place as their own have combined in this great stewardship action. We have much to celebrate in our common work to benefit this well-loved place.