The Forest and Field Club is involved in collaborative learning and comprehension of various natural science topics through guest speakers and member presentations and has been in existence since 1913. Much anticipated activities include the annual Christmas Bird Count and the Spring Bird Count. The Forest and Field Club is open to new members of all Vermont communities. Monthly meetings are held in various locations within Addison County.
Keeping Track, founded by Susan Morse, a nationally known naturalist, is known for teaching outdoor enthusiasts, school groups and natural resource professionals how to better assess, document, conserve and improve the overall ecological health of natural areas. Participants are trained to monitor local wildlife populations, identify key species and core habitats, and gauge and reduce the effects of human development within or near natural areas.
One of many goals of Keeping Track p.. Read More
Founded by three people working for the State of Vermont water quality planning division, the nonprofit Vermont River Conservancy was established in 1995 to conserve land along Vermont's rivers and streams. The Vermont River Conservancy succinctly outlines their long-term goals within the mission statement, 'permanently conserve and protect special lands along the waters of Vermont' and abides to these words for all pursued projects. The inception of the Vermont River Conservancy was in re.. Read More
The Vermont Land Trust (VLT) as of October 2014 purchased approximately 5,600 acres of forestland known as Worcester Woods. This land purchase from the Deer Lake Timber Company is in an effort to achieve the overall goal of conserving more than 19,000 acres of land within the north-central areas of Vermont. Worcester Woods has an ideal combination of favorable management history and numerous contiguous tracts of undeveloped land. Wildlife habitat protection through the Staying Connected In.. Read More
The Critical Paths Wildlife Tracking project developed a concise methodology to determine and document zones of frequent wildlife road crossing along the roads within the Green Mountains and the Northeast Kingdom areas of Vermont. Structural computer models were first implemented to determine where wildlife is likely to cross roads. Professional wildlife trackers were hired to determine the location and species of wildlife crossing the roads. Roadside tracking occurred in a two-part segment b.. Read More
In response to Vermont citizen inquiries about what wildlife or habitat was important in their town, or where they should focus their conservation efforts and from developers wanting to know where they could site energy generation facilities, the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, along with numerous partners, established and implemented the Natural Resources Mapping Project. The result of this effort was Biofinder, a map and database identifying important ecosystems, biodiversity hotspots,.. Read More
The Brushwood Community Forest is a 1,059-acre municipal woodland owned by the town of West Fairlee, Vermont.
Brushwood strategically adjoins the 1,400-acre Fairlee Municipal Forest. (A few hundred acres of Brushwood actually lie within the town of Fairlee.) Together, these two town forests are part of one of the last significant blocks of forestland in the ecologically significant Upper Connecticut River Valley.The area in and around Brushwood has linked people to the landsca.. Read More
Plainfield recently updated their town plan. The new version was adopted in February, 2014. The updated plan added a significant amount of conservation language throughout the document. Plainfield's vision statement directs the town to foster appreciation for Plainfield's natural resources. To ensure this goal, in addition to enhancing and strengthening the conservation language in the chapter on natural resources, critical conservation-oriented strategies and objectives were added to other c.. Read More
In 2009, Cold Hollow to Canada Forest Link Project, the Staying Connected Initiative, and the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department hosted a gathering which brought together community members from the towns of Enosburgh, Montgomery, and Bakersfield. The goal of this meeting was to compile a multitude of community-value maps created at the event into a single map which depicted areas of high community value overlap. In total there were over 90 community members who attended the event, and each.. Read More
The Linking Lands Alliance (LLA) is a grassroots citizen group focused on conserving wildlife habitat and restoring forestland. The LLA is comprised of 10 towns located in the Upper Valley of Vermont (Hartland, Woodstock, Hartford, Vershire, Thetford, West Fairlee, Pomfret, Sharon, Strafford, and Norwich). In 2009, LLA contacted the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department in hopes of creating a map of natural resources in their area. This resulted in a very collaborative effort between the membe.. Read More