There are few people who look to swamps as great places for
island hopping. However, you can do just that within the 22,000
acre Otter Creek swamp complex in western Vermont. Local
topography creates small islands of rich organic soils which
peak above their marshy surroundings. These islands have both
archaeological and ecology significance and provide solid
footing for a suite of species. The Conservancy recently
acquired a significant portion of one of these islands with the
purchase of 178 acres in Cornwall, VT. Bond Island is a clay
knoll that houses good examples of two of the eleven known
natural community types in the swamp. The more common Red Maple-
Northern White Cedar swamp is home to an array of animal species
that traverse its moss-covered hummocks and hollows. In the
winter, it provide important protection and food for white-
tailed deer and plenty of hollows for snowshoe hare to hide. In
the spring, when the swamp floods with water and teams with
insects, migratory songbirds flitter through its