History of the Refuge

The Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge “was established in 1997 to conserve, protect and enhance the abundance and diversity of native plant, fish and wildlife species and the ecosystems on which they depend throughout the 7.2 million acre Connecticut River watershed. Currently, the refuge is comprised of nearly 40,000 acres within parts of the four watershed states of New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.”

The Nulhegan Basin was identified as a high priority area for conservation within the watershed when the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge was first established. The Basin has high biological value: the presence of rare species, extensive wetlands, and contiguous migratory songbird habitat.

In 1998, Champion International Corporation (a large paper and wood products producer) announced it would sell 132,000 acres of land in northern Vermont, including the Nulhegan Basin. A group of conservation partners, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the State of Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, private investors, the Vermont Land Trust, and The Conservation Fund sought its protection. The Nulhegan Basin Division of the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge was established in 1999 with the purchase of 26,000 acres within the basin. The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources purchased 22,000 acres adjacent to the division to form the West Mountain Wildlife Management Area, and a private timber company (now Weyerhaeuser) purchased the remaining 84,000 acres that surrounds the federal and state properties. The combination of ownerships, with varying yet complementary mandates, provides long-term conservation of important wildlife habitat as well as the preservation of traditional uses of the land.