Camel's Hump Natural Area

In 1911, Joseph Battell, a publisher, environmentalist, and philanthropist from Middlebury, donated 1,147 acres (464 ha) of forest land surrounding Camel's Hump to the State of Vermont.^[6][7] The deed declared that the "trees growing on the land herein conveyed are not to be cut...and the whole forest is to be preserved in a primeval state."^[8] A half century later, in 1965, the state created Camel's Hump Natural Area,^[9][10] a 1,086-acre (439 ha) protected area that included a portion of the Battell lands within its boundary.

In 1969, as a by-product of creating Camel's Hump State Park, the State of Vermont designated an ecological area that included all state lands in Camel's Hump Forest Reserve above 2,500 ft (760 m) plus all land in the Gleason Brook watershed above 900 ft (270 m).^[11][12][13] The ecological area, which was meant "to protect scarce and rare plants, to preserve the natural habitat, and to maintain the wilderness aspect" of the land,^[14] expanded Camel's Hump Natural Area to 5,708 acres (2,310 ha).

In 1995, the State of Vermont acquired the 2,700-acre (1,100 ha) Phen Basin parcel in Fayston. Approximately 80% of the parcel was designated as an Ecological Protection Zone intended to foster the conservation of wildlife, habitats, forestry values, public recreational opportunities, and scenic resources.^[15][16] With the addition of the Ecological Protection Zone, Camel's Hump Natural Area grew to its current size of 7,850 acres (3,180 ha).^{[citation needed]}

• Alfieri, Amy; Chipman, Brian; Gobeille, John; Johnson, Michael; Leonard, Matthew; Nerenberg, Jason; Peterson, Robert; Sausville, David; Sabourin, Gary; Zaino, Robert (2017). "Camel's Hump Management Unit: Long Range Management Plan" (PDF). State of Vermont: Agency of Natural Resources; Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation; Fish and Wildlife Department. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
• Alfieri, Amy; Bates, Karen; Gobeille, John; Johnson, Michael; Leonard, Matthew; Mikula, Toni; Nerenberg, Jason; Peterson, Robert; Sausville, David; Simard, Lee; Wrigley, Kathryn; Zaino, Robert; Baron, Bill; Chipman, Brian; Sabourin, Gary; Sawyer, Gary (October 2021). "Camel's Hump Management Unit: Long Range Management Plan" (PDF). State of Vermont, Agency of Natural Resources: Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation; Fish and Wildlife Department. Retrieved May 4, 2023.