Recently conserved: 23 acres on the South Branch of the Trout River

For generations the Mercy’s have farmed along the banks of the South Branch of the Trout River.  However, the difficulty of managing crops alongside an actively meandering river led Arnold and Linda Mercy to search out funded programs that could help them manage the risks of farming on river lands, and mitigate their crop losses.  With a River Corridor Easement held by Vermont River Conservancy, the Mercy’s are permanently allowing the river to move freely, and are compensated for cropland they will no longer be planting in the 50 foot riparian buffers.  Arnold describes this option “as the best one out there, since the river will move where it wants to anyways.”  Farming next to the South Branch of the Trout River just became easier, and the river is now allowed to meander and flood as it needs, thus minimizing future tensions upstream and downstream.
Funded by the VT Agency of Natural Resources Ecosystem Restoration Grant Program