HARTLAND — Regulators are seeking public feedback on a 25-year plan that dictates how the North Hartland Lake recreation area can be used and its natural resources preserved.

The 1,460-acre recreation area — including the lake, beach, North Hartland dam, Ottauquechee River up to Quechee Gorge, and surrounding trails and wildlife areas — are federally owned and managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The entire property is governed by a master plan that was most recently updated in 1999 and is being revised. The plan outlines long-term management objectives for the recreational, natural and cultural resources on the property that are used to inform most daily operations. Army Corps of Engineers rangers do everything from managing the recreational areas, to building nesting boxes for birds and conducting fish and water quality studies in the lake and Ottauquechee River.

At this point “we don’t have any changes that need to be done” to the plan, USACE Upper Connecticut River Basin Manager John Asseng said at an open house at Hartland Library last Wednesday, April 16. But, changes might be made based on public suggestions and in later steps of the revision process.

Objectives in the 1999 master plan include to “protect and conserve wetlands and rare plant and animal habitats,” “evaluate boating use,” “maintain existing trails” and protect “prehistoric and historic archaeological sites.” The 1999 plan also surveyed and categorized how different areas of the park can be used and outlined capital projects.

USACE staff chatted with about 30 people about the master plan process during the open house, especially the public comment period that is open until May 16.

“Everybody seems to love North Hartland Lake and so we’re interested to see what there might be for comments and ideas,” Project Manager Heather Morse said.

So far, Morse said it is too early to pick out particular themes the public are interested in, but a group of rangers, biologists and other experts will review the written feedback and consider how it might be integrated into the final plan.

“I’m really pleased at most of the things that they’re doing there, and I hope that all of that will continue,” Hartland Conservation Commission Chairman Rob Anderegg said in an interview at the event Wednesday. “I had a couple of areas of concern. One is around invasive control.”

In his public comment, Anderegg said he will ask the Army Corps to “minimize” the use of harmful chemicals by finding alternative ways to control invasive species, such as Japanese knotweed, at North Hartland Lake.

At the lake, a spokesperson said rangers have used different practices to try to treat knotweed over the years to find what is “successful and affordable.” But the current practice is to cut the plants and “chemically treat” the new sprouts after a few weeks “to reduce the amount of chemical being used.”

The new master plan will take up to two years to complete. After the public comment period, a draft master plan is projected to be released in July 2026, followed by a second public comment period. The final master plan is expected to be finished in December 2026.

The public comment period opened April 16 and runs through May 16. Comments can be submitted in writing, either via email to CENAE-NorthHartlandLake@usace.army.mil or sent via mail to USACE North Hartland Lake, c/o Project Manager, PO Box 55, Hartland VT 05052.

Clare Shanahan can be reached at cshanahan@vnews.com or 603-727-3216.