Savoring a swimming hole on a hot summer day, watching trout rise to kiss the surface over and over again, paddling through morning mists to the sound of birds, sitting on a bank watching and listening as water continues on its eternal journey. At the Vermont River Conservancy we believe future generations should continue to have the option to treasure these experiences, in every Vermont community.

Vermont's Swimming Holes
There is nothing for feeling alive like a visit to one. Vermont's hundreds of clean, natural swimming holes have been important to generations. These places restore the soul: cool, green oases, communal favorites that define the rural landscape, remnants of a simpler, saner time. Will these areas be there for our children and grandchildren? Will the water be swimmable? For examples of VRC's work protecting Vermont's swimming holes, see the Twenty-Foot Hole, Buttermilk Falls, Lower Clarendon Gorge, Dog River Park, and Our Current Work.

Paddling Vermont's Rivers and Lakes
Vermont's streams, rivers and lakes present a full spectrum of paddling experiences to boaters. Big, slow rivers where great blue herons fish and swallows dart acrobatically overhead; Steep creeks that challenge the most experienced white-water boaters; Mountains looming, forests and farmlands stretching in the distance; Water cloaked with morning mist, a beaver swimming, its wake draped behind like a cape. For examples of the VRC's efforts to protect paddling access and undeveloped shorelines see the Lyman Falls Conservation Project and Our Current Work.

Wildlife near Vermont's Waters' Undeveloped Shorelines
So many species depend on the woods alongside Vermont's waters. Ecosystems in themselves, these lands are important to the integrity of streams providing a rich mixture of plants and animals. Make your own list over time - what species have you observed where the water meets the land - birds, mammals, amphibians, over one hundred species of dragonflies. And the species that live in the water depend on the land as well. The food chain for fish begins with the leaves and other matter falling from streamside trees. See the Berlin Pond Conservation Project, the Wells River Conservation Area, and Our Current Work for examples of VRC's work protecting wildlife habitat.

page updated 2/26/08 by Zephyr Sites

Chances are if you are reading this, you have spent many enjoyable moments in or near the water in Vermont, whether swimming, fishing, paddling, walking, or observing.

Unfortunately, lands along Vermont’s waters are increasingly threatened by population growth and resultant development. More than 2,000 people per year move to Vermont to improve their lives by escaping already overcrowded places. Many new homes—some of them second homes—are being built each year. Locations along our rivers and lakes are particularly attractive building sites, for obvious reasons, and yet, without proper planning and the conservation of important undeveloped water places, wildlife, scenic views, recreational access, clean water, and Vermont’s quality of life will suffer greatly.
We hope you share our vision.

Fishing Vermont's Waters
From the world-famous Battenkill, to regional favorites such as the Upper Connecticut, Mettawee, and Dog Rivers, to little-known local treasures, Vermont has hundreds of miles of streams and rivers. The lands along Vermont's rivers, streams and lakes provide access, habitat, and beautifully forested, undeveloped shorelines for the angler, all extremely important to the angling experience. See the Lyman Falls Conservation Project and Our Current Work for examples of VRC's work.

Waterfalls and Gorges
Water is always trying to find its way to the center of the earth. For a long time, Vermonters have gravitated to falling water. Small wonder. The Green Mountain State has more than its fair share of delightful waterfalls, and people have always loved to visit them. We go for the mesmerizing, ever-changing sight of undulating flow, the lacy foam, the froth of white, the roar and thud, the quiet beauty of many-colored cobbles in clear pools, the sorcery of gray mists, the solid miracle of potholes, and the green, dripping luxuriance of hanging mosses. Buttermilk Falls and Lower Clarendon Gorge are two fine examples of Vermont waterfalls and gorges the VRC has helped protect.