NEKTTA

Jay Peak & The Green Mountain Club swap land to protect the Long Trail

2010-09-07

Sarah Clark, commissioner of the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, leaned over a table perched on a ledge outcropping atop 3,820-foot Jay Peak and signed paperwork Tuesday that set in motion a three-way swap of land that has been a decade in the making.

Under the swap agreement, the state gives Jay Peak 59.8 acres the ski area has been leasing but now will own. Jay Peak gives up its lease of 418 acres of nearby, undeveloped forestland in Jay State Forest. Finally, Jay Peak sells 166 acres of ridgeline to the Green Mountain Club and the state, creating a permanent buffer between future ski-area development and 3.5 miles of the Long Trail.

The Long Trail ridgeline should have been visible over the shoulders of Clark; Gov. Jim Douglas; Bill Stenger, president of Jay Peak; Ben Rose, executive director of the Green Mountain Club; and other interested parties at the signing ceremony — but a stubborn fog shrouded the mountainside.

Nothing, however, could cloud the mood.

“We are doing something very important for the Long Trail and its future protection,” Stenger said. Equally important, the deal allows Jay Peak to realize more of its development dreams, such as replacing the antiquated “Stateside” lodge and upgrading adjacent lifts. The swap also sets the terms for future development in a bowl located beneath the ridgeline where the Long Trail runs.

“It is really a very straightforward win, win, win,” Rose said. To seal the deal in the Green Mountain Club’s 100th anniversary year was a bonus, he said. The club was organized a century ago in Burlington with a mission to build and maintain a 273-mile path through the state’s mountainous wilderness.

Congrats to Cabot Cheese - chosen Best VT Specialty Food in the Seven Days Reader's Choice Awards

2010-08-06

The cheese section of a Vermont grocery store is a blissful place. One reason? Cabot cheddar cheese. The winner of numerous international awards, Cabot started out nearly a century ago as a small Vermont dairy co-op that made butter, not cheese. But in 1930 the farmers decided to branch out and hire a cheese maker. Since that fateful day, the co-op has grown, and now its steady cheddar production helps support the state’s dairy community. It doesn’t hurt that the cheddar is flavorful, aromatic and, sometimes, mouth-puckeringly sharp. As long as Cabot is around, turkey sandwiches across America won’t lack for the tang provided by two-year-aged cheddar. With a picture of Vermont in its logo, Cabot remains a Green Mountain classic.

- Haylley Johnson, Seven Days Newspaper

Kingdom Trails Building Down-Hill Bike Park

2010-07-19

Kingdom Trails Building Down-Hill Bike Park on Burke Mountain

Burke Mountain received ACT 250 permitting to construct lift-service mountain bike trails. Work is set to begin very soon, with the construction of a down-hill mountain bike park on the lower slopes of Burke Mountain. Kingdom Trail Association (KTA), a not-for-profit recreation organization, will build, maintain and manage the trail system and Burke Mountain Operating Company will operate the chairlift. Built in the late fall of 2005, the Sherburne Express High Speed Quad will be fitted with bike racks, giving the many mountain bikers that flock to the Kingdom Trails each summer, a new way to reach the top of the trail.

Kingdom Trails, voted the BEST TRAIL NETWORK in North America by Bike Magazine, will utilize the collaboration and expertise of Burke Mountain and IdeRide to develop several trails from the top of the chairlift. These trails will also add to the pre-existing trails already maintained by KTA. The park plans will feature fast, flowing trails with elements of varying difficulty. An anticipated opening is set for September 2010.

"To be able to add this to our system is a very exciting opportunity. The fact that we can now provide professionally built and maintained lift accessed trails on Burke Mountain will be such an attractive feature for our riders. The side of mountain biking that is more gravity assisted is growing, and introducing this to our popularity will keep us in the forefront of mountain biking in not only Vermont, but throughout the country," says CJ Scott, Trails Manager at Kingdom Trails.

The addition of the new trail system also excites many small businesses in town; Lilias Ide, co-owner of IdeRide Mountain Bike Camps & Shuttles agrees with CJ, We're excited about Burke running their high speed quad for biking-it will make the new and existing trails on the mountain accessible for fun and flowy runs all day long! John Worth, of East Burke Sports, states These trails are the type of opportunity KTA doesnt currently offer and will appeal to a larger audience.

The operation of lift served Mountain Biking is a perfect way for Burke Mountain to expand its offerings and allow our customers four season recreation at the resort said Tim McGuire General Manager of the Resort. The trail network in Burke operated by Kingdom Trails Association is known throughout the country as a premier destination for biking. Burke Mountain Resort is excited to partner with Kingdom Trails to expand the already nationally renowned offerings. The new lift served trail system is one of the first of the many improvements that Burke has been planning for some time, we will continue to improve our ski and off season amenities and see this project as a precursor of additional improvements to come.

Kingdom Trail Association provides recreation and education opportunities for local residents and visitors while working to conserve natural resources and create economic stimulation. KTA has permission of 50 landowners and businesses that make the four season non-motorized trail system possible. In 2009, KTA received over 36,000 visits on their 100 mile network.

National Geographic Traveler: Vermont the Distant Kingdom

2010-07-07

Been to Bennington, skied Stowe, loved Lake Champlain? You're ready for the Vermonters' Vermont: the uncrowded hiking- biking-canoeing corner known as the Northeast Kingdom, anchored by the gateway town of St. Johnsbury. "Despite its rural character, or maybe because of it, the Kingdom is home to many artists and writers," says Tom Slayton, former editor of Vermont Life, "and boasts a corresponding wealth of music, theaters, galleries, and museums." Museums like the Fairbanks, with the state's only public planetarium. Innovative theaters like the Bread and Puppet Theater, home of the pioneering Cheap Art movement to bring art to everyone. Local staples like syrup-producing Maple Grove Farms and cheese-churning Cabot Creamery, a farmers' cooperative known for its award-winning cheddars. "The Kingdom's charms are intimate," says Slayton, "to be savored at a gentle pace."

Online Country Store is now open for business!

2010-06-04

The Northeast Kingdom is home to very talented craftspeople and makers of Vermont specialty products. Everything from glass, wood products, textiles, soap, jewelry, metal, and pottery are handcrafted here. We are excited to now feature an all new Online Country Store, will allow you to view and purchase some of these quality products and have them delivered right to your door!

Washington Post Writer Steve Drydens recent article about the Northeast Kingdom.

2010-06-03

"Little did I know how much I would come to love the Northeast Kingdom"

Washington Post Writer Steve Dryden had a lot to share in his recent article about the region.

Read the article in full.

Yankee Magazine Readers Vote for the Kingdom!

2010-06-01

A number of Northeast Kingdom businesses made the list on the first Best of New England Readers Choice” list in Yankee Magazines 75-year history. The readers had to make their favorite picks in categories including favorite New England attractions, lodgings, dining establishments, getaways, ski resort, B&B, amusement park, museum, pizza place, diner and more. We love that Vermont's Northeast Kingdom was ranked by Yankee Readers as "Best Family" and "Best Romantic" Getaway! Click on the link below to view the complete list!