Camel's Hump Forest Reserve is a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the ...

. The area is bounded by Vermont Route 17 on the south, the

Winooski River The Winooski River (formerly the Onion River) is a tributary of Lake Champlain, approximately long, in the northern half of Vermont. Although not Vermont's longest river, it is one of the state's most significant, forming a major valley way from ...

on the north, the Mad River on the east, and the Huntington River on the west. The Forest Reserve covers a total of or of both public and privately-owned land, one of the largest blocks of core forest in the state. Camel's Hump Forest Reserve wholly contains

Camel's Hump State Park Camel's Hump State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of Vermont. The park straddles the northern Green Mountains in an area bounded by Vermont Route 17 on the south and the Winooski River on the north. As of 2017, the park covered a ...

, which is home to

Camel's Hump Camel's Hump (alternatively Camels Hump) is a mountain in the Green Mountains in the U.S. state of Vermont. The north slope of the mountain borders the Winooski River, which has carved through the Green Mountains over eons. At , it is tied (with ...

, the third highest mountain in Vermont. Other state lands in the reserve include

Huntington Gap Wildlife Management Area Huntington Gap Wildlife Management Area is a wildlife management area in the U.S. state of Vermont. It consists of in the towns of Huntington, Buels Gore, and Fayston. The area is owned by the State of Vermont and administered by the Vermo ...

and

Robbins Mountain Wildlife Management Area Robbins may refer to: People * Robbins (name), a surname Fictional characters * Al Robbins, medical doctor in ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' * Arizona Robbins, surgeon in ''Grey's Anatomy'' * Ashley Mizuki Robbins, protagonist in the vide ...

. Camel's Hump Forest Reserve should not be confused with

Camel's Hump State Forest Camel's Hump State Forest (alternatively Camels Hump State Forest) covers a total of in two blocks in the U.S. state of Vermont. Stevens Block comprises in Buels Gore, Fayston, and Starksboro in Chittenden, Washington, and Addison count ...

, a non-overlapping area south of Vermont Route 17.

Origin

The Vermont legislature established Camel's Hump Forest Reserve in 1969. By statute, all public lands in the reserve are partitioned into three use districts: # ''Ecological area''—all land above plus all land in the Gleason Brook watershed above # ''Timber management and wildlife area''—all land between and except Gleason Brook # ''Multiple-use area''—all land below except Gleason Brook The ecological area was created "to protect scarce and rare plants, to preserve the natural habitat, and to maintain the wilderness aspect" of the land. The intended uses of the timber management and wildlife area include timber production, water conservation, wildlife management, hunting, hiking, cross-country skiing, and nature appreciation. Farming and residential living are permitted in the multiple-use area.

Biodiversity

Citizen scientists have observed hundreds of different

life forms Life form (also spelled life-form or lifeform) is an entity that is living, such as plants (flora) and animals (fauna). It is estimated that more than 99% of all species that ever existed on Earth, amounting to over five billion species, are ex ...

in Camel's Hump Forest Reserve, including at least 300 species of animals and 250 species of plants. There are at least 10 species of animals and 24 species of plants in the vicinity of Camel's Hump thought to be rare or very rare. A handful of these are protected by Vermont state law.

Bibliography

* *

References

{{authority control Protected areas of Chittenden County, Vermont Protected areas of Washington County, Vermont Huntington, Vermont Duxbury, Vermont 1969 establishments in Vermont Protected areas established in 1969