Vermont Fish and Wildlife officials have closed nine cliffside hiking trails around the state in an effort to keep people away from nesting peregrine falcons.
The closed spots include Nichols Ledge in Woodbury, Fairlee Palisades, Deer Leap in Bristol and Bolton Notch. Also closed are Rattlesnake Point in Salisbury, Great Cliff on Mount Horrid in Goshen and Rochester, the cliff south of the pond on Snake Mountain in Addison, Smuggler’s Notch in Cambridge and Marshfield Mountain.
Officials urge hikers to check the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department Web site to see if the spot where they want to go might be closed due to nesting falcons or other reasons.
The falcons have rebounded since the mid-1900s, when pesticides caused reproductive failure.