Green Mountain Club Partnership In 2008, the Stark Mountain Foundation, Inc., partnered with the Green Mountain Club to preserve the section of the Long Trail located on Stark Mountain. The two charitable corporations share a natural and symbiotic relationship in their initiatives to preserve the forests and ecosystem of Stark Mountain, while providing recreational access and preserving the area's unique character.
Years ago, the Mad River Cooperative granted a trail easement to the Green Mountain Club where the Long Trail passes over Co-op property south of the Appalachian Gap. Since then, the Stark's Nest shelter - located on the Long Trail and open year 'round for skiers and hikers - has been rebuilt by the Co-op with grant support from SMF. SMF also funded the Kent Thomas Nature Center and supports the Naturalist Programs at the Cooperative, as well as reforestation and regeneration projects on the mountain. The Stark Mountain Foundation has pledged to raise funds for maintenance of the length of the Long Trail on Stark Mountain, including significant trail work on the Stark's Wall with replacement of the rotten wooden ladders with steel rungs which will blend into existing rock and are guaranteed to last a lifetime. New puncheons will be installed in the muddy areas higher up. Volunteer work crews are always welcome. For information, see the GMC website, www.greenmountainclub.org, or call 802-244-7037.
Kent Thomas Nature Center
The Kent Thomas Nature Center was created by the Foundation in 2003 from an abandoned lift shack with the generous support of the Tauck Foundation as a memorial to its namesake. Kent Thomas was a great friend of the Tauck family and an avid outdoorsman who spent many winters enjoying the recreational and social activities on Stark Mountain and at the ski area. The Kent Thomas Nature Center contains interpretive displays, preserved raptor and mammal specimens, geologic information, animal tracking guides, and SMF literature. The Tauck Foundation continues its partnership with the SMF, providing generous grants for additional displays and building improvements. The SMF hosts open houses at the Nature Center, which is also used as a gathering point for Mad River Cooperative's Naturalist Program participants, day hikers, snowshoe hikers, and skiers. Although the Kent Thomas Nature Center is open year-round, it is enjoyed especially by youngsters as an educational warm-up hut during their learn to ski programs.
The Forest
Kent Thomas Nature Center
Wildlife mounts
The Mountain
Save the Single The Stark Mountain Foundation partnered with the Preservation Trust of Vermont to raise over $1.6 million to restore the historic "Single Chair" at Mad River Glen in Fayston, Vermont. The project included removing, sandblasting, repainting and reinstalling the lattice towers and framework with new concrete bases to assure safety. New chairs were built to the exact specifications of the originals, and while the original wire rope and lattice towers, as well as the return station framework were reused, a new electric drive with diesel backup, new sheaves, and safety systems were installed. The result is a Single that looks the same, feels the same, but is safer and longer-lasting than the original. All the work was completed with allegiance to the historic fabric of the Single and the unique experience of riding up the mountain remains unchanged.
The Single
The Stark Mountain Foundation is a charitable 501(c)(3) organization. Federal EIN #03-0369897 VT Tax Exempt #450-030369897F-01
