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PROJECT PROFILE:
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Lake Paran,
North Bennington
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At Lake Paran, conservation protects public access to the beach
and the undeveloped northern shoreline. Trails will connect
to the Robert Frost Museum in Shaftsbury.
Vermont Land Trust photo
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Lake Paran is where generations of North Bennington residents learned to swim and fish. It’s a beautiful spot just outside the village, and one of the very few sizable water bodies with a wholly undeveloped shoreline in southwestern Vermont. But half of that shoreline was in private hands, so there was always the risk that it would be developed. Therefore, for townspeople it was a most important event when a group of citizens and organizations came together to see about conserving three parcels totaling 56 acres on the lake’s northern shoreline.
The Fund for North Bennington, a local nonprofit, collaborated with the Vermont Land Trust (VLT) and private landowners to engineer the transaction. In 2004, VHCB made a timely grant that allowed the acquisition to go forward. The 56 acres are now owned and managed by The Fund for North Bennington and VLT holds a conservation easement on the property. Public access is guaranteed. For some of the newly acquired shoreline acquired this was the first time public access had ever been available.
“This lake is part of this community,” said Bob Howe, a retired local businessman who was involved in the conservation effort. “It’s connected to the sense of place of North Bennington. And it’s all walking distance from downtown.”
- adapted by Ethan Parke from an article written by Doug Wilhelm
The Department of Fish and Wildlife maintains a fishing
access point on the Lake, across from the public beach.
Vermont Land Trust photo
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