As a seasoned fisherman will confirm, “no clean water, no fish habitat, no trout.” Sometimes referred to as the streams’ “canary in the coal mine,” trout require high quality, oxygen-rich cold water streams that can support the food-chain that they depend upon while also providing good habitat throughout their life cycle. Sedimentation from erosion, nutrient … Continue reading
Monthly Archives: February 2016
Innovative Grant Paves Way for Precision Application of Soil Amendments
In February 2015, the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation awarded an Ecosystem Restoration Grant to the University of Vermont Extension to help farmers improve the application of soil amendments to their fields. The grant supported the purchase of a Tebbes MS140 material spreader. The MS140 can not only accurately measure the amount of materials being … Continue reading
The Art of Camouflage – the Story of Clarence
Come meet the animals using the wetlands of Vermont during the winter season. The Winter Tracking Series will share a new story every week until the full moon following the first day of spring; March 20, 2016. Chapter 2: The art of camouflage, the story of Clarence My name is Clarence, and I am a … Continue reading
Sledding in a Wetland – the Story of Otto and Luna
Come meet the animals using the wetlands of Vermont during the winter season. The Winter Tracking Series will share a new story every week until the full moon following the first day of spring; March 20, 2016. Two river otters, Otto and Luna, make their home in and around a small lake in Vermont (see … Continue reading
Lake Iroquois Recreation District Addresses Stormwater Runoff and Erosion Control
The swimming beach at Lake Iroquois is an important resource for the four towns that make up the Lake Iroquois Recreation District (LIRD) and other Vermont residents. A project was recently funded through the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation’s Ecosystem Restoration grants program for ecological landscape design, erosion control and stormwater management to protect the … Continue reading
Orange and Windsor County Road Foreman Meeting Address Municipal Roads General Permit
On February 10, 2016, the Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission (TRORC) hosted a Road Foreman Regional Meeting in the new Chelsea Town Garage for road foreman of towns in Orange and Windsor Counties in East Central Vermont. Road foreman from the two counties checked out the shiny new garage in Chelsea and enjoyed bagels and coffee. … Continue reading
Park-Winter Meadow-Tremont Neighborhood Managing Stormwater Runoff
The Friends of the Winooski River with support from the City of Barre has completed a stormwater master plan for a neighborhood in the City. The master plan has resulted in designs for three conservation practices. The Park‐Winter Meadow‐Tremont neighborhood sits in a steeply pitched northeast corner of Barre City. Even during relatively modest rain … Continue reading
Winter Storytelling – Wetlands Under Snow
Over the next few weeks, the Wetlands Program will share some stories with you of animals that are still using wetlands during the winter months. Come and learn about Otto, Luna, Clarence and others; who they are, and how you can recognize them in a wetland, without ever actually seeing them. A wetland in winter … Continue reading
Water Quality Protection Projects for Towns in St. Albans Bay Area
As part of its St. Albans Bay watershed initiative to improve the water quality of streams entering the Bay, the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, DEC, entered into a Memorandum of Understanding, MOU, with the Vermont Agency of Transportation, VTrans, in 2014 that provided $60,000 in Ecosystem Restoration Program funds to be used by interested municipalities … Continue reading
Celebrating Vermonts Wetlands Through YouTube
In celebration of World Wetlands Day, a quick search of YouTube videos for Vermont wetlands provided a surprising number of viewing options…but why be surprised. Wetlands are really cool places. They often have unique plants, like pitcher plants, skunk cabbage or the black gum tree and they support some pretty awesome animals, like moose, beaver, … Continue reading