Exploring Permanent Protection for Witch Cat Falls
Bakersfield, VT · October 5, 2026
Crisp air and lingering mist greeted the ridges early today as peak autumn foliage settles across the hills. Settle in with a hot mug while we walk through the week ahead.
The Lead
Efforts to permanently protect the rugged terrain around Witch Cat Falls took an official step forward following town backing to explore a land conservation purchase. The Conservation Commission teamed up with the Vermont Land Trust to map out a preservation plan for roughly 67 acres surrounding the falls, a secluded spot prized by backcountry walkers and wildlife watchers.
An initial appraisal placed the parcel's value at $195,000, with total acquisition and long-term stewardship projected near $385,000. Securing Selectboard support gives organizers the green light to negotiate a formal purchase contract, a necessary prerequisite for competing state and charitable open-space grants that will fund the buy without tapping local property taxes. The commission's next move is finalizing the landowner agreement before winter application rounds close.
Local Pulse
- Bids Solicited for Whitney Road Culvert Replacement Roads Engineering moves ahead using federal funds to replace undersized twin culverts prone to pooling along Wall Station.
Today's Outlook
- High 57°F · Low 41°F — Drizzle (56% chance of precipitation, winds around 15 mph)
- Keep a waterproof shell handy today to ward off damp breezes and chilly drizzle.
What's On Around Town
Today
Movies That Matter: "Steal This Story, Please!" Welden Theatre (104 N Main St), St. Albans, 6:30–8:30 PM · Free Watch a timely independent screening followed by an open community discussion on equity.
Development Review Board Hearing Town Hall (40 East Bakersfield Rd), 7:00 PM · Free Voice feedback on upcoming local land-use, zoning, and building permit requests.
Tomorrow
- "Every Day: Big and Small" Documentary Screening Welden Theatre (104 N Main St), St. Albans, 7:00 PM · $15
Spotlight & Story
- Peter Bent Brigham
- Born here in 1807 as one of nine children, he left at thirteen following his father’s death, headed for Boston with barely a coin. Peddling oysters from a pushcart sparked the fortune that endowed both Harvard's hospital and Brigham Academy.
Bakersfield Daily Digest — compiled from local sources as of 6 AM. For breaking updates, follow your local newsrooms.
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