The 350-acre Riley Bostwick Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is owned by the State of Vermont and managed by the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department. It is located 1.5 miles east of the town of Rochester in Windsor County. The property consists of two parcels, one of which is bisected by the Bethel Mountain Road; the other, often referred to as “the mountain lot”, is adjacent to the south side of Mt. Cushman Road. Various other town roads and legal trails provide access throughout the two parcels. Logging roads and skid trails on the property offer numerous opportunities for the hiker, cross-country skier or bird watcher. The designated “legal trail” on the mountain lot provides a trail for snowmobilers. The terrain of Riley Bostwick WMA is typical of the eastern foothills of the Green Mountains, ranging from relatively flat fields to extremely steep, rough, stony land. The Bethel Mountain Road parcel is 250 acres in size, with 205 acres of forestland and 45 acres of herbaceous openings. Much of this parcel contains mature spruce-fir that provides some winter shelter to deer. The “mountain lot” is a separate second parcel of 100 acres; 89 acres are forested and 11 acres are open or semi-open. The lower portions of this parcel are managed for edge and aspen habitat for early-successional species such as ruffed grouse and woodcock. Nasmith Brook is the only major watercourse that flows though the property. Almost all of the WMA is forested with a mix of red and sugar maple, yellow and paper birch, beech, white ash, aspen, white pine, red spruce, balsam fir and hemlock. There are active hay fields, old fields and scattered apple trees as well.