What activities should be allowed at Boyce Hill? Should the town of Fayston allow the former farm pasture to revert to forest or continue to mow large sections? Should the town try to rebuild its damaged soils? Are views from the top more important? How should it look 100 years from now? Should Fayston use this site to teach our children about the Mad River Valley’s hill farming heritage?
Fayston's Boyce Hill Town Forest Steering Committee is developing a long-term management plan for the property and wants to know what Mad River Valley residents and visitors think about how the town should manage it. To submit input, a survey is available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BoyceHill. The committee will be using the survey results along with input gained during three public input zoom forums to guide its recommendations. A fourth public forum will be offered in the fall to share and discuss potential management strategies and tactics.
“For some town forests, developing a management plan is relatively straightforward because they’re mostly, well, forest!” said Pete Colgan, steering committee member. “Boyce Hill is different because its options are more complex. The views it offers are spectacular because the land has been intensively managed to remain largely open. It could support a broad potential range of outdoor activities, but some uses are harder on the land and wildlife than others. Some uses are incompatible with other uses. Some are available elsewhere in The Valley while others may be uniquely suited to Boyce Hill. Each management decision comes with expense and natural resource impact implications. We’re eager to hear what recommendations our neighbors have for managing a very complex set of competing priorities as we set the trajectory for the property's future.”
For those unable to complete the survey online, paper copies can be obtained at the Fayston Town Office. To be added to the Boyce Hill Town Forest mailing list, visit http://bit.ly/BHTF_List or email
