Close to 1,200 acres of land in the Taconic Mountains in Vermont is now protected through a deal arranged by the Vermont Lands Trust.

The trust worked with D. T. Mance and Associates, Inc. surveying company to conserve the area of West Mountain near Shaftsbury, while additional 240 acres will be preserved in Rupert.

U.S. News reports that much of the protected land in the larger piece has an elevation above 2,000 feet and is visible from U.S. Routes 7 and Vermont Route 7A.

“Much of West Mountain has been broken into separate parcels since European colonization,” said the Land Trust's Donald Campbell. “Protection of the Mance land ensures that a large block will remain whole. We’re prioritizing the conservation of large working forests like these for the many benefits they provide.”

The newly protected area includes headwater streams of Paran Creek, Little White Creek, and Lake Shaftsbury, wetlands, and a vernal pool. 

Earlier this month, New Mexico has purchased 1,200 acres of land to protect migrating routes for elks and other animals on the Colorado Plateau.