Officials say 630 acres of land adjacent to the Killington section of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail in Vermont will be protected.
The property was bought by the Conservation Fund in 2010 and transferred to the National Park Service last week. The land will link the Les Newell Wildlife Management Area with several privately owned conservation lands, creating an protected area of more than 9,000 acres.
The Conservation Fund says the land will create a protective buffer to prevent development along a one-mile section of the trail while also protecting wetland habitat in Barnard and on the edge of Bridgewater.
The lands will be open for hiking, hunting, fishing, cross country skiing and other uses.