Bristol Cliffs Wilderness

Bristol Cliffs Wilderness
Map showing the location of Bristol Cliffs Wilderness
Map showing the location of Bristol Cliffs Wilderness
Location in Vermont
Map showing the location of Bristol Cliffs Wilderness
Map showing the location of Bristol Cliffs Wilderness
Location in United States
LocationAddison County, Vermont, US
Nearest cityLincoln, Vermont
Coordinates44°06′N 73°03′W / 44.100°N 73.050°W / 44.100; -73.050
Area3,750 acres (1,520 ha)
Established1975
Governing bodyUnited States Forest Service

The Bristol Cliffs Wilderness is one of eight wilderness areas in the Green Mountain National Forest in the U.S. state of Vermont. The area, near Lincoln, Vermont, is managed by the U.S. Forest Service.[2] With a total of 3,750 acres (1,520 ha), the wilderness is the smallest in Vermont.[3] It was created by the Eastern Wilderness Areas Act of 1975,[4] which makes it one of the oldest wilderness areas in the state.

The Eastern Wilderness Areas Act set aside 6,500 acres (2,600 ha) for Bristol Cliffs Wilderness, including 2,725 acres (1,103 ha) of private property claimed to have been improperly seized by eminent domain. On September 28–29, 1975, a subcommittee of the U.S. Senate held a public hearing in Bristol, Vermont to receive testimony on a bill intended to rectify the situation.[5] The bill later passed Congress and was signed into law on April 16, 1976.[6] The bill reduced the area of the Bristol Cliffs Wilderness to 3,775 acres (1,528 ha), in effect returning the disputed land to the local landowners. This marked the first (and only) time in U.S. history that a wilderness area was subsequently reduced in size.

  1. ^ Protected Planet Website- Retrieved March 29, 2023
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference USFS was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Wilderness Connect was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference GovTrack 1974 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Google was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference GovTrack 1975 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).