Some hiking trails across Vermont to be closed for the season: Here's why
As spring approaches in Vermont, many people are getting ready to hit the trails and start the 2025 hiking season. However, Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department and Audubon Vermont are recommending people check to see if the area they are planning to hike or climb is open.
While there are typically spring trail closures to reduce impacts during mud season, several cliff areas are now closed to protect nesting peregrine falcons.
'Peregrine falcons are very sensitive to human presence during their breeding season, so we ask climbers and hikers to please maintain a respectful distance from their nests,' Nongame Bird Biologist Jillian Kilborn with Fish and Wildlife, said. 'The areas closed include the portions of the cliffs where the birds are nesting and the trails leading to cliff tops or overlooks.'
Over the next couple months, biologists and community scientists will be identifying cliffs occupied by peregrines this year.
These sites will remain closed until Aug. 1 or until Fish and Wildlife determines the risk to nesting falcons has passed. Additional sites may be added or removed from the list which will be updated and provided on VT Fish and Wildlife's website.
Bolton Notch in Bolton – UUW cliff – cliff access and climbing closed.
Bone Mountain in Bolton – portions closed to climbing.
Deer Leap in Bristol – cliff-top and climbing closed.
Eagle Ledge in Vershire – closed to hiking and climbing.
Dummerston Quarry in Dummerston – upper quarry closed.
Hazen's Notch in Lowell – portions closed to climbing.
Fairlee Palisades in Fairlee – cliff-top closed.
Marshfield Mt in Marshfield - portions closed to climbing.
Mt Horrid in Rochester – Great Cliff overlook closed.
Nichols Ledge in Woodbury – cliff-top and climbing closed.
Prospect Rock in Johnson – cliff-top overlook and climbing closed.
Red Rocks Park in South Burlington – southern cliff access closed.
Rattlesnake Point in Salisbury – southern overlook closed.
Snake Mountain in Addison – entire western trail closed.
The peregrine falcon population plummeted due to the use of chemical compound DDT as an insecticide in the mid twentieth century. Peregrines picked up the chemical from the birds they ate. The result was thinner eggshells and a reduced chance of survival for the young.
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All of the peregrines east of the Mississippi River were eliminated by the time DDT was banned in the 1970s.
Efforts to reintroduce peregrines have been successful. In Vermont, relatively high peregrine productivity levels have been sustained since 1991.
It's due to the sensitivity of these birds to disturbance that people are cautioned to avoid nesting areas during this period. Peregrine Falcons prefer to nest on high ledges near open areas where they hunt, such as rivers, lakes and fields. The nest is a section of gravel, sand or loose soil that has been hollowed out. No additional building materials are brought to the site.
Audubon Vermont conservation biologist Margaret Fowle works with volunteers and other conservation professionals to monitor the sites throughout the nesting season.
'Peregrine falcons were removed from Vermont's endangered species list in 2005, and the population continues to thrive thanks to the efforts of our many volunteers and partners,' Fowle said. 'In many cases the lower portions of the trails remain open, and we encourage people to enjoy watching peregrine falcons from a distance that requires using binoculars or a spotting scope.'
Report any disturbance of nesting peregrines to your local State Game Warden and report any sightings to Fowle at margaret.fowle@audubon.org.
Sydney P. Hakes is the Burlington city reporter. Contact her at SHakes@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Vermont trails closed for the season to protect peregrine falcons
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