What makes the Green Mountains so green? Water.
From the Northeast Kingdom to southern Vermont, rivers run through nearly every town in the state. But just because the river is there doesn’t mean people can get to the river. In many places, private land has locked-up riverfront properties and locked-out people. No fishing, no swimming, no boating.
This is the story in Westford, a small town in the Champlain Valley, where the Browns River flows through the middle of town, but there’s no official public access point where people could dip a toe into the river. A Westford community survey asked residents what they want for the future of their town. One of the top responses? Access to the river.
We’re working with the community to make this happen – not just protecting access to the river, but partnering with community leaders to build affordable housing at the same time.
We’re working to buy a nearly 2-acres of river lands in Westford, VT, with nearly 500 feet of frontage on the Browns River. This stretch of the river showcases a healthy, towering floodplain forest, a series of cascading pools, ledge outcroppings, and swimming holes.
Protecting this land will be an incredible asset to the Westford community, providing opportunities for riverfront walking, river access for swimming and fishing, and open space within walking distance of the historic town green. Importantly, the conserved forested land will help naturally filter and store water, contributing to cleaner water for the 150,000 people who get their drinking water from Lake Champlain.
Give today to make sure every Vermont town can access its local river.
Vermont’s capital is a river city, with four rivers meeting downtown. When we asked people what future they’d like to see for these rivers, responses were nearly unanimous: riverfront parks and cafes, access for splashing, tubing, and paddling, and fewer dams. Now, we’re working to make that dream a reality.
Bookending North Troy recreation fields, the wastewater treatment plant, and a hydro dam, we’re working to protect two parcels on the Missisquoi River. Farmed years ago, the land is reverting back to wetlands, and offering an opportunity to convert low-value farmland to high-value wetland.
We're partnering with Northeast Wilderness Trust to protect 6,000 acres at the headwaters of the North Branch of the Winooski River. It's a once in a lifetime chance to give our rivers (and generations to come) the gift of old forests and freshwater streams.