Almost unimaginable today, until Vermont River Conservancy stepped in, this site was a junkyard. Literally. Cars, metal, scrap, all piled in heaps.
Local residents were worried the abandoned junkyard was harming the river and reached out to Vermont River Conservancy to help chart a new path forward. Vermont’s Department of Environmental Conservation took a closer look and confirmed neighbors’ fears: runoff from the junkyard was polluting the river.
Thanks to neighbors Steve and Linda Lembke, who rallied their friends and neighbors to the cause, today it’s a beautiful meadow with public access to the Green River. Plus, it’s an important area for the river to spread out and flood during heavy rain events, while also providing public river access.
The aptly named Green River Meadows is mostly an open field, bordered on one side by the meandering Green River. The bank is lined with mature trees, with a bucolic background of rolling hills in the background that lights up with reds and oranges each fall. Visitors are treated to a quiet place to walk or fish. Plus, the river’s shaded and shallow pools are perfect for cooling your feet off on a hot day or searching for macroinvertebrates under smoothed rocks.
Curious to hear more? Check out this Green River Meadows video.
This project made possible thanks to the support and partnership of:
Green River Meadows is located at 741 River Road in Guilford, VT. From I-91 Exit 1 in Brattleboro, drive south on U.S. Route 5 for 1.3 miles. Turn right on Guilford Center Road and drive 4.6 miles. Turn right on Jacksonville Stage Road and drive 2.5 miles. Just after the covered bridge, turn left onto River Road. Drive south about 0.6 miles to the small gravel parking area on the left.
