The Green Mountain Club (GMC) works to protect and maintain The Long Trail in Vermont. The Long Trail is the oldest long distances hiking trail in the United States. Spanning 272 miles and following the ridge of the Green Mountains, the trail stretches from the Massachusetts border to the Canadian border. Overall, the goal of the GMC is to make Vermont’s mountains play a larger part in the lives of people, and to promote the stewardship of Vermont’s hiking trails and mountains through stewardship.
The GMC’s headquarters are in Waterbury Center from which they offer information on the trail, educational events and workshops, the Short Trail interpretive hike, and more. The headquarters sits on a 53.82-acre property. Mollie Flanigan, director of land conservation shared that 31 acres of the property are enrolled in the tree farm program. 36.78 acres are also enrolled in the Current Use Program.
GMC is currently in the process of coming up with a wholistic management plan for the property. While still in development, some of the goals of the property are to host the headquarters and visitor center of the GMC, provide seasonal housing for the GMC’s field staff, provide public access and education opportunities (largely through the maintenance of the Short Trail and its educational signs), enhancement of native wildlife habitat and the Shutesville Hill Wildlife Corridor, manage for long term sustainable timber.
The Green Mountain Club has been enrolled in the Tree Farm program since the mid-2000s. The organization joined at a time when the headquarters facility was being rebuilt and the GMC was reinvesting in sustainability initiatives. Becoming a Tree Farm was a great way to show our commitment to responsible land stewardship and forest management,” said Mollie. “Continuing our membership is an important way for GMC to be a member of the forest management community within Vermont.”