Partner-Led Projects
Vermont Conservancy’s Floodplain Restoration Project
In Irene’s aftermath, local and state entities put their heads together to identify places where restored floodplains could help protect homes and businesses from the next big flood. And what was a top priority? A 12-acre parcel along Whetstone Brook at 250 Birge St. in downtown Brattleboro.
When Tropical Storm Irene blasted through Brattleboro in 2011, these 12-acres should have helped absorb the torrent. But they didn’t.
Used as industrial sawmill and lumber storage site for 120-years, the site was filled with imported gravel, elevating the land well above the river. Instead of overflowing onto this land, Whestone Brook was pushed across the opposite bank into people’s homes and across the road, then whipped around the curve and undercut businesses downstream.
Vermont River Conservancy bought the 12-acre parcel in 2017 then jumped through the hurdles to restore the site to a working floodplain and community park. Working closely with the Town of Brattleboro, they completed archeology studies, soil testing, and permitting. Fall 2023, big red dump trucks hauled away 50,000 cubic yards of gravel, then regraded the soil and restored a small wetland. In the spring, they planted trees and shrubs along the river.
Thanks to this, now Whetstone Brook can naturally spill across the land, slow, and drop debris during the next big flood.
The project keeps nearly 4 feet of water out of adjacent homes, and several feet out of downtown Brattleboro. For nearby families, that’s the difference between seeing the river rise in the backyard, versus the headache and heartache of floodwater in the living room.
As a final step, they built an all abilities walking path, parking, and access to the river. The new park will provide recreation access for scores of families in the adjacent neighborhoods for fishing, wading, and the simple enjoyment of a peaceful walk, increasing quality of life and helping Brattleboro to attract and retain top talent. In addition, per Brattleboro zoning ordinances, presence of a park will allow for new higher-density housing within ¼-mile of the park, helping to augment housing stock and mitigate Brattleboro’s housing crisis, providing even more community benefit.
Partners
The Town of Brattleboro
Funding
Fannie Stebbins Floodplain Protection and Restoration Project (MA)
The Fannie Stebbins Memorial Wildlife Refuge in Longmeadow, MA is comprised of approximately 370 acres of forest, shrub swamps, and herbaceous marshes. In 2017 protection of the land was achieved and restoration of 223 acres of rare floodplain forest began. The Fannie Stebbins Unit of the Conte Refuge is the largest unfragmented area of natural floodplain vegetation in the Connecticut River Watershed. Restoration efforts included replanting fields with floodplain tree species, control of invasive plants, and restoration of natural hydrology. The project represents a true public-private partnership with many project participants of all sizes and types.
Partners
Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge
Natural Resources Conservation Service
The Nature Conservancy
All Habitat Services
Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company LLC
Funding
Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Agricultural Easement Program (ACEP): Wetland Reserve Easement Program (WRE)
Connecticut River Paddlers’ Trail Campsites and Maps (CT and MA)
This project had two components, development of two CT River Paddlers’ Trail campsites on Mass Department of Conservation and Recreation property (Montague and Whately, MA) and the creation of a GIS tool for mapping trail gaps and identifying potential campsite locations in Massachusetts down to Hartford, Connecticut. The Appalachian Mountain Club developed the campsites and The Trust for Public Land created the GIS mapping tool.
Partners
The Appalachian Mountain Club
The Trust for Public Land
Funding
MA Recreation Trails Program: $45,749
Bafflin Foundation: $10,000
Paul C. Jones Working Forest - Brushy Mountain (MA)
Kestrel Land Trust orchestrated with Franklin Land Trust and MA Department of Fish and Game the acquisition of a Conservation Restriction over 3,486 acres of working forest owned by W.D. Cowls Inc. —the largest CR over private land in Massachusetts. The CR protects wildlife habitat on a landscape scale and guarantees public access for hiking, hunting, fishing and sustainable forest management.
Partners
MA Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
MA Department of Fish and Game
US Forest Service Forest, Open Space Institute
W.D. Cowls, Inc.
Funding
Forest Legacy Program: $5 million
Massachusetts Landscape Partnership Grant: $3 million
Open Space Institute: $800,000
Buffam Brook Community Forest (MA)
The Town of Pelham Conservation Commission and Kestrel Land Trust acquired 161 acres of land to establish the Buffam Brook Community Forest. This living laboratory will be used to demonstrate sustainable forestry practices that will help forests adapt to climate change and recover from large scale natural disturbances.
Partners
Town of Pelham Conservation Commission
Funding
Community Preservation Act Fund
Whalebone Cove Invasive Species Survey (CT)
The Friends of Whalebone Cove hired consultant Judy Preston to conduct a survey to identify and map invasive species in the cove from March 2019 to September 2019. The survey will be used to create a management plan to control invasive species in the future.
Partners
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Funding
Dues membership provided additional funding
