Enjoying the clean water of a swimming hole, fishing in the mists at dawn or the magic at dusk, paddling along wild, undeveloped shoreline, sitting on a bank watching and listening as water continues on its eternal journey.

Chances are, if you are reading this, you have spent many fine moments along a Vermont river. Shouldn't you and future generations continue to have that option?

Unfortunately, the lands along Vermont's waters are increasingly at risk. Across the country, as more houses are built and more waterside lands are transformed and posted, human and natural communities suffer.

We are working so that will not happen here. The lands along Vermont's waters deserve the type of attention that the Green Mountain ridgeline, the Long Trail, and Vermont's working farms and forests have received.

The VRC needs your support to help us counter these threats now and to seize opportunities to conserve shore lands so that you and future generations will continue to have beautiful water places to visit and treasure. To tell us about threats you know of, please call us at 802-229-0820 , or
Email us at vrc@vermontriverconservancy.org.

Learn more about how you can help support the VRC...

The threats to Vermont's waters and waterside lands include:

• Loss of Public Access to Water Places
  Loss of public access to waterways threatens one of the most visceral and basic connections to the natural world. Imagine a Vermont whose shore lands are posted and off limits to the public. Without our efforts, and your support, it will happen. Once people can't get to their waters, will they care so much about protecting them?

• Inappropriate Development of Shore Properties
  Development adjacent to waters is damaging the biological health of river systems, reducing the ability of the landscape to provide free ecological services such as water filtration and flood and erosion control. Removal of vegetation in the riparian zone is threatening fish, wildlife, and water quality. New structures along what had once been undeveloped shore lands threaten the public enjoyment of waterways.

• Over- Development of Watersheds and Lake and River Corridors
  Increasing percentages of "impervious surface areas" (i.e. pavement and buildings) encourages water pollution. Rainwater flowing from developed lands often contains higher concentrations of pollutants that are able to flow directly into rivers.

• Unmanaged Misuse and Abuse of Water Places
  Without proper and thoughtful management, many exceptional water places are too popular. If Vermont's swimming holes, waterfalls and gorges, and other popular sites are to be well cared for, Vermonters need to be excellent stewards of the lands along Vermont's waters.

page updated 2/26/08 by Zephyr Sites