Long-range management plan public meeting set for March 4
The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources invites the public to participate in developing a new long-range management plan (LRMP) for Jamaica State Park. An in-person public scoping meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 4, 6 to 8 pm, at the Townshend Town Hall, 2006 Route 30. This launches a monthlong opportunity for the public to learn about the property and provide input. The comment period will remain open until Friday, April 3.
Jamaica State Park covers an area of 1,118 acres across the towns of Jamaica and Londonderry in Vermont’s southern Green Mountains. The park ranks among the top 25% busiest of Vermont’s state parks and serves as a major recreation destination, featuring the 125-foot Hamilton Falls, the West River Trail, whitewater recreation opportunities on the West River, and a popular day-use area and campground. People have gathered in the West River Valley for thousands of years. Archaeologists have uncovered tools and pottery within the park’s footprint that people left behind many hundreds of years ago. The park also supports important wildlife habitat, including amphibian breeding sites, deer wintering areas, black bear feeding areas, and potential bobcat den habitat.
Hamilton Falls is an important feature of Jamaica State Park and is addressed through two complementary planning efforts with different scopes. The Hamilton Falls master plan is a distinct planning effort for visitor use management at and immediately surrounding the falls and the Switch Road Trail, covering approximately 10 acres. The Jamaica State Park LRMP covers the full 211-acre Hamilton Falls natural area and the rest of the park. The LRMP will address broader land management goals but will not revisit site-specific visitor use management at the falls.
Public input on visitor use management at Hamilton Falls was gathered during the summer of 2024 as part of the master plan process. A public responsiveness summary will be released with the final master plan.
Long-range management plans guide land management on state-owned lands for a 20-year period, balancing ecological, recreational, cultural, and economic values. Public scoping is an early and important step in the process, allowing Vermonters to share how lands are used and valued. Public input at this stage helps shape the plan, which will be shared for further public comment before a final draft is adopted.
The meeting is open to the public and all are welcome to attend. RSVPs are appreciated but not required and can be sent through the Jamaica State Park website https://fpr.vermont.gov/jamaica-state-park.
A recording of the meeting and a project StoryMap - an interactive webpage with maps, background information, and planning materials - will be available online. Public comments may be submitted in writing at the meeting, by email to anr.statelandsplanning@vermont.gov or through a comment form that will be posted on the Jamaica State Park website after the public meeting.
