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College Lands

Valley Lands

View of college lands from Bi Hall

The 3,000-acre College Valley Lands are configured in two parts.

The first is a large, mostly contiguous expanse to the west and south of campus. The landscape provides a cherished view, a learning laboratory for classes and independent projects, many spaces for outdoor recreation, a reminder of where some of our electricity is generated, and, overall, a College companion whose changes we sense daily.

Less known are the scattered landholdings, “islands” east and north of campus, primarily to the east of Otter Creek. These lands, some of which are used for research and teaching, are important parts of the broader community’s landscape. How we view the future of these lands is highly dependent on their different contexts. 

One of the most recent additions to the College Valley Lands is a 377-acre parcel in Cornwall, just west of campus. Known as the “Jackson Lands,” this 2012 donation from Trustee Emeritus Willard T. Jackson ’51 is the largest and most significant property the College has received since Joseph Battell’s 1915 bequest.

Included within the Valley Lands are productive agricultural fields leased to local farmers. The agricultural lands are used for organic grass-fed dairy, conventional dairy, no-till dairy, and sheep grazing. 

The valley forests, along with Mountain Lands forests, are part of the carbon credit project.

Selected Land Highlights

Battell Biological Preserve
The Battell Biological Preserve is an old-growth northern hardwood/hemlock forest and a designated national natural landmark. Research at the forest expands our knowledge of intact forest systems in northeastern North America, where few examples of forest that has never been logged exist.
Heron catching a fish.
The Stephen C. Trombulak Nature Sanctuary is managed to conserve wildlife habitat, natural communities, wetlands functions, and other ecosystem services. The area is primarily a place for nature, yet important human uses include teaching, research, nature connection, and wildlife viewing.
Jackson Lands west of campus.
Gifted to the College in 2012, the 377-acre Jackson Lands in Cornwall includes woodland, fields, and ponds, which provides a multitude of educational, wildlife conservation, and agricultural uses.