Conservation Commission

Beard Recreation Park at 299 School Street offers a village escape with picnic tables and a grill, a place for swimming close to a waterfall, some fishing spots where brook trout are known to challenge the fly fisherman as they dimple the Gihon River at dusk.  A stone’s throw from the Power House covered bridge, every season the site is a photographer’s dream. 

Journey’s End property at 469 Plot Road is 25 acres of forested land which features a delineated trail to a delightful natural area on Foote Brook. The brook contains high quality fish habitat and the property hosts deer winter area and songbird habitat.  The photogenic waterfall provides a deep swimming pool for experienced swimmers before it splashes into a nice wading area for less experienced folks. There is a picnic table overlooking the site and a walking trail that features the fairy house construction projects built by many youngsters.

The Prindle Property Natural Area accessed from 1755 Plot Road is a 25- acre land-locked parcel which features interesting wildlife, plants and topography. Joe Brook runs through the middle of the site. The generally moist conditions on the site are ideal for an array of fungi, mosses, club mosses, and amphibians. Two trails feature unique characteristics of plant and animal life in an unusually quiet space.

Talc Mill Forest is accessed from Lendway Lane and Upper French Hill Road. Northern hardwood and hemlock forests are predominant natural communities. The town’s municipal buildings are in the lower portion of this parcel. The VAST trail runs on the eastern side of the property connecting with the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail, which runs along the edge of the Lamoille River. There are a variety of natural resources, and the site of an historic talc mine to interest anyone who ventures onto the property. Much of the forest on the parcel is a deer wintering area.

Reservoir Property is located off Reservoir Road, next to the old reservoir that formerly provided drinking water for the town. French Hill Brook runs through the property creating numerous waterfalls along its path making it a picturesque site for walkers and hikers.

Gomo Town Forest is a 141-acre parcel located at the terminus of Codding Hollow Road, close to the northeast border of Johnson. Because of its proximity to the spine of the Green Mountains, the terrain is very steep. Interesting historical features abound: an old doodlebug truck with a yellow birch sapling growing from the bed, a misplaced grave marker, a stone culvert under a logging road, some heritage apple trees, remnants of maple operations, and farming. Several fields are managed by the Conservation Commission for wildlife habitat.

McCuin Island, a 3.8-acre island is upriver from town in the Lamoille River, roughly near the Nazarene church. Stewardship of the island was assigned to the Conservation Commission in cooperation with the Vermont River Conservancy, who holds an easement on it. The island features undisturbed dense native vegetation consisting of everything from spring ephemeral flowers to 6-foot high ostrich ferns, and a large, so far healthy, American Elm. Thick, brushy willows line the island’s edge where small inlets and overhanging vegetation provide resting areas for various species of waterfowl and other animals. The conservation value of this relatively untouched piece of floodplain forest lies in its intact natural vegetation and status as an example of a floodplain forest natural community.  A visit in the summer of 2018 documented a Delaware Skipper (first record for Lamoille County), among several other butterfly species and bees utilizing the abundance of flowers. Stop at the island for a picnic, some fishing, or a photo opportunity as you paddle along the Lamoille River.

*Wescom Town Lot 1B is the official name for the 3.92-acre lot across Wescom Road from the Skate Park. JCC is working with Bee the Change to plant a one-acre pollinator/native wildflower garden. Progress has been slow due to the 2024 summer weather conditions. The project will contribute to flood resiliency in that area as well as being an asset for bees.  There is also a set of bat boxes on site, housing for bats.