In May 2016, Northeast Wilderness Trust purchased the Goff Preserve in Essex, NY for permanent protection as a small but key piece in the heart of the Split Rock Wildway. These 27 acres are in the vicinity of other NWT-protected lands and advance the vision of a connected wildway from the High Peaks of the Adirondacks to Lake Champlain.

A place of complex terrain, diverse woodlands, and superb wildlife habitat, the Goff Preserve also protects part of a regionally significant landscape. The preserve is suitable habitat for the sharp-shinned hawk (a species of special concern in New York State), whose long tail and short, rounded wings enable it to dart through woodlands in pursuit of prey. Several large eastern hemlocks on the property are home to porcupine; the hemlock stands are also outstanding winter habitat for white-tailed deer. The Goff Preserve contains a pocket ravine, numerous seeps, and a tributary of the North Branch of the Boquet River.

“My family feels that the transfer to Northeast Wilderness Trust was a positive action, protecting the woodland area for the future, and allowing it to become part of the Split Rock Wildway,” says Norma Goff. “As such, we are hopeful that trails can be developed in the future, providing better public access. Thank you for making this possible.” We thank the Goff family for their vision of a wild future for this land. One more puzzle piece secured!

Thanks to the Eddy Foundation and to the Sustainable Future Fund of the Vermont Community Foundation for significant support, as well as to the New York State Conservation Partnership Program, which provided a conservation transaction grant for the Goff Preserve.

Northeast Wilderness Trust is still fundraising for this project. As of June 2016, we still need to raise just over $28,000. Please make a gift today. Your donation will ensure the long-term stewardship of this land as forever wild.

[This was originally published on www.newildernesstrust.org and is reprinted with permission from Northeast Wilderness Trust.]