Trail Around Middlebury Offers Local Recreation, Education

Author: Megan Michelson

Winding its way around Middlebury and surrounding towns is a 14-mile footpath called the Trail Around Middlebury (TAM) that offers students and members of the local community a source of outdoor recreation and a physical landscape in which to learn about the natural environment. The trail, which loops through campus and extends to sections within the Otter Creek Gorge Land, Wright Park and Battell Woods, is maintained by the Middlebury Area Land Trust (MALT), a grassroots organization that works to preserve and conserve natural resources and land in Addison County.

MALT, founded in 1987, protects over 1,000 acres and primarily is supported by volunteer workers. These volunteers donate thousands of hours for trail maintenance, office work and other projects. "We have no paid maintenance staff, and our volunteers come from a broad spectrum. Many of them are Middlebury College students," said Katie Reylley, office manager for the MALT.

There are approximately 60 volunteers working during the span of one year in contributing to the organization's mission of improving recreational areas, conserving working farms, protecting wildlife habitat and enhancing local cultural, educational and historical resources. The type of volunteer work varies seasonally, but there is work to be done year-round. The nonprofit organization is funded by private donations, membership fees and the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board.

One purpose of the lengthy trail surrounding Middlebury is to promote and provide for year round outdoor activities, such as running, walking, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. Mountain bikes are also permitted in specific areas. "I think there is great recreation land around town and to have access to those rural lands is very important," said Executive Director of the MALT Gioia Kuss '83.

In addition, the trail is used as an outdoor classroom to learn about local plant and wildlife species. The Middlebury College environmental studies department uses the trail as a locale to study local flora and fauna.

Kuss conceived the idea for a comprehensive and linked trail over 10 years ago and has since developed it into a defined and diverse trail that is well marked with yellow signs along its periphery.

Since official development of the trail began in 1989, local residents have taken advantage of the opportunites made available by the footpath, even though it was not finished until last year. Two bridges were recently completed over Otter Creek to bring the trail full circle. "The last step was crossing Otter Creek and now the two new bridges completely link the trail," explained Kuss. The bridges were built with financial support from local donations and the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation.

Kuss hopes that with the completion of the trail it will see a lot more use by local residents and students. She also mentioned that too much use could result in negative effects on the land. "There is a fine line between use and abuse. We have to be careful we don't over use the land, and we need to keep our eye out for erosion," cautioned Kuss.

Conservation of the land is a main priority for the MALT. Last year the organization conducted a public survey to discover the town's consensus on priority of land use and conservation. The town of Middlebury voted that their number one concern was farm land conservation. Following this was a desire to protect the quality of water, open space and habitat for wildlife.

The MALT relies on public opinion and involves local citizens and government in order to ensure the support of the community behind their projects.