Mountain Top Arboretum receives generous donation of land

The Board and Staff of the Mountain Top Arboretum are delighted to announce Mountain Top Arboretum is the recipient of an additional 21 acres of property, donated by local resident Simeon Bayles. This donation completes one of the Arboretum’s most important ecological features, the Hidden Marsh. The additional property will be open to the public, and with this donation, Mountain Top Arboretum now consists of 200 acres of plant collections, meadows, wetlands, forests, and more. The Hidden Marsh was likely formed by a glacial lake and, today, features a variety of mosses, grasses, wildflowers, and varied wildlife, including beavers, marsh wrens, and eastern red spotted newts. 

Now that the land is owned by Mountain Top Arboretum, it will be forever protected, says Board Chair Abby Coffin, “We are so grateful to the Bayles family who have made an extraordinary gift of this special parcel of land. This important acquisition enables the MTA to preserve and protect this pristine land in perpetuity, and generations to come will benefit from the restorative beauty, and important environmental resources the land provides to all. We will be forever grateful for the Bayles Family’s generosity.”

Bayles added, “My family and I are so happy that by donating this land we are both sharing and protecting it for so many generations to come.  This land, which is 80% wetlands, will serve both future generations and the planet with its beauty, natural carbon capture and the habitat it provides for wildlife.  It’s our hope that this gift inspires others to consider supporting and growing those organizations in their own backyards that protect and conserve our natural environment.”