Hogback Mountain Conservation Association
Route 9, Marlboro, Vermont
Preserving a Mountain Treasure
Route 9, the major east-west travel corridor in southern Vermont, bisects the Hogback Mountain Conservation Area and brings you to the famous 100-mile view. On a clear day you will be rewarded with views of Vermont, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. Pull off and enjoy the scenery.
Stay a little longer and take a hike. Hogback offers a wealth of natural and scenic resources including the headwaters of the Green River watershed. It provides important wildlife habitat for a variety of mammals such as deer, porcupine, bobcat, black bear and moose. It also includes summer habitat for neotropical migrant birds such as the black-throated blue and black-throated green warblers.
Hogback Mountain is open year-round to the public for hiking, snow-shoeing and other low-impact recreation.
HMCA is a volunteer organization that works to support both education and recreation for community members and the public at large. Use the Contact Us button to sign up to receive our email bulletins so you can hear about guided hikes, volunteer days, and other events.
Want to get occasional emails announcing guided hikes, workdays, talks and other Hogback-related events? Hit the button --->
Bird-banding at Hogback:
don't try to "rescue" the birds
Hogback is excited to be hosting a multi-year bird-banding project by biologist Eric Slayton. He is documenting the spring and fall songbird migrations by netting and banding birds. He adds his information to a nationwide database that is used by myriad researchers. If you see a fine mesh net on the mountain with a bird in it, please DO NOT try to release the bird. Eric and his assistants are on the mountain and they check the nets at regular intervals. They know how to untangle the birds without harming them. Being stuck for a few minutes in the net doesn't harm the birds, but being "helped" by someone who doesn't know how to do the untangling can be disastrous. When Eric isn't on the mountain, the nets are carefully furled so no bird can be caught unintentionally. If the net is open, Eric is there and he will release the bird soon.
Eric welcomes visitors to the project (sign up in advance), and is recruiting volunteer assistants. Click the link to go to the project page and get contact info.
Biodiversity Inventory Completed
Click here to see the full report.
Biologist Charley Eiseman recently completed a Biodiversity Inventory of the nearly 600-acre Hogback Mountain Conservation Area. He identified and mapped the natural communities, which include hardwood, softwood and mixed forests, and several types of wetland communities, including seeps, fens, swamps and marshes.
Eiseman periodically visited the Conservation Area from May 2018 to January 2019, and documented both flora and fauna. His report includes a 10-page tabulation of vascular plants he identified growing on site, from trees to wildflowers to ferns and mosses. The report also lists 11 amphibian/reptile species, 22 mammals, 80 birds, and close to a hundred insect species that use Hogback.
He found no rare, threatened, or endangered species, but did find several plants and one butterfly that are uncommon in Vermont. While a half-dozen or so invasive plant species were found, none of the infestations are widespread.
The Hogback Mountain Conservation Association will be working with the Town of Marlboro's Hogback Preservation Commission over the next year to update the Management Plan for the Conservation Area. This Biodiversity Inventory and its accompanying maps will be useful in identifying areas that need special protection as well as areas well-suited for recreational and other uses compatible with the conservation easement that governs allowable uses of the land.
Support the Work of HMCA
Help us continue to provide maps, maintain trails, offer guided hikes, preserve the historic sites, and improve habitat for wildlife by making a donation. Clicking the Donate button will take you to a Paypal page. You don't need to have a Paypal account to donate. HMCA is a 501(3)c non-profit, recognized by the IRS, so your donation is tax-deductible. You will receive an email acknowledgement of your contribution.
Another way to donate is to write a check made out to "Hogback Mountain Conservation Association" and mail it to:
Nancy Anderson, Treasurer
HMCA
P.O. Box 20
Marlboro, VT 05344
We appreciate all the many different kinds of support we receive from the fans of Hogback, whether it is monetary support, participation in volunteer work days, or taking part in our free events on the mountain.
High School Students
Earn Community Service Hours Out in the Woods
Join us for an afternoon building a bridge or a morning clearing the former ski slopes to create wildlife habitat, and you can count the hours towards the community service requirement you need to graduate. The Early Successional Habitat project typically hosts several half-day work parties each fall, and the Trail Committee has projects going on year round. No special skills are required, just a willingness to work outdoors.
Or donate your time tackling indoor projects, such as helping with the web site or digital file management. Indoor or out, drop us a line using the "contact us" button.
Want to be more involved in making Hogback a great place, but don't want to make a big commitment? Get your feet wet by joining a committee.