BOLTON -- East of Bolton Notch Road rises a 2,500-foot ridge, traversed by the Long Trail and home to bobcat, moose and bear.

Now, thanks to a three-year conservation effort, this 426-acre parcel of forestland has been forever protected from development. A second plot of 157 acres in Jericho and Richmond was also recently protected.

The effort was finalized last week when the West Bolton Golf Club sold the undeveloped land as an addition to Mount Mansfield State Forest. The Vermont Land Trust and the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation announced the deal Thursday.

The transaction represents the first state acquisition of land in the Chittenden County Uplands Conservation Project, a cooperative effort to conserve the ecological integrity, rural character and working landscape of the northeastern uplands of Chittenden County.

"The objective is to look at and help conserve the ecological significance of this area and limit its fragmentation," said Bob Linck, Vermont Land Trust Champlain Valley regional director.

"What makes this latest effort so significant is that the West Bolton Golf Club property straddles Bolton Notch Road and therefore links the expansive wildlife habitat of the state forest with the town of Bolton's Preston Pond property."

Preston Pond is a 403-acre tract preserved five years ago with the help of Vermont Land Trust, The Nature Conservancy of Vermont, and a grant from the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., helped secure $4.2 million in Forest Legacy appropriations to support the Chittenden County Uplands Conservation Project. More than 4,500 acres has been preserved in the area. The Forest Legacy Program was written by Leahy and established in 1990 to protect forestlands from conversion to nonforest uses. .

The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation administers the funding provided by the USDA Forest Service for the program, said Elise Annes, Vermont Land Trust vice president for community relations.

West Bolton Golf Club general manager Jeff Brown said his family was pleased to be able to work with the state and Vermont Land Trust in selling the land for conservation purposes.

"Our family decided several years ago that the Notch property was not essential to the operation of the golf club," he said. "Still, we wanted it to remain available to hunting, hiking and snowmobiling. This recent sale allowed us to reach this goal."

Three miles to the west, forestland in Richmond and Jericho is also newly protected. Danny Peet and his three siblings agreed in December to preserve 157 acres in a second project funded by the federal Forest Legacy Program. This land abuts another 1,730 acres conserved by Prelco Inc., a family held corporation. Peet and his family will continue to own the land.

"This changes the development value," Annes said, "but it will forever remain forestland." The program is voluntary, she said. Use of conservation easements allows the land to remain in private ownership and ensures that important public values such as wildlife habitat, natural areas, forest resources, and outdoor recreation opportunities are protected.