Recent Headlines About Habitat Loss
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Volunteers tackle invasives
The Burlington Free Press reports that the "Nature Conservancy’s Wise-On Weeds program provides technical assistance and public education in the Champlain Valley." After one year in existence, the program has helped "train more than 800 people to recognize, remove and replace invasive species, and has established demonstration sites from Manchester to Jeffersonville." Volunteers with the program have learned to identify and remove invasives such as the garlic mustard and the Japanese knotweed in order to restore the native habitats.
Two tracts of forest preserved
The Burlington Free Press reports that the Vermont Land Trust and the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation announced that two tracts of forestland have been preserved. The preserved lands include a 426-acre plot in Bolton and a 157 acre plot in Jericho and Richmond. Notably, "the transaction represents the first state acquisition of land in the Chittenden County Uplands Conservation Project, a cooperative effort to conserve the ecological integrity, rural character and working landscape of the northeastern uplands of Chittenden County." Bob Linck, Vermont Land Trust Champlain Valley regional director, commented that this latest effort was particularly significant because it "links expansive wildlife habitat of the state forest with the town of Bolton's Preston Pond property."
Trout habitat restoration continues on Batten Kill
The Times Argus reports that "efforts to improve trout habitat on the Batten Kill [River] in southern Vermont will continue this year with the potential for $20,000 in grants." The grants will support the Batten Kill Watershed Alliance, which "since 2006 has been adding woody debris and slate rocks to the river to protect brown and brook trout from flooding and create shade and places for them to feed." Work this year will focus on stopping erosion, increasing buffer zones, and stabilizing banks along the river. "Trout Unlimited has awarded the project $7,500 and the group's local chapter plans to donate $5,000, which will be matched by a 60 percent federal grant from Green Mountain National Forest."
Batten Kill restoration gets help from Bypass
The Bennington Banner reports that "ongoing work to restore habitats on the Batten Kill is getting a boost from the ongoing Bennington Bypass project." According to Shelly Stiles, district manager for the Bennington County Conservation District, "Trees removed from the east side of Bennington, where a ramp for the northern leg of the bypass will be constructed, are being hauled to several areas along the Batten Kill to create artificial habitats for trout and other wildlife." Notably habitat restoration projects along the Batten Kill began in 1999 after surveys conducted by the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife revealed a 54 percent decline of the river's brown trout population.
Marshfield farmland parcels preserved
The Times Argus reports that "two families donated conservation easements to the Vermont Land Trust last month, adding nearly 170 acres of land to more than 2,000 acres already conserved by other Marshfield landowners." According to Mark McEathron, the central Vermont director of the Vermont Land Trust, "Marshfield has benefited by an amazing string of generous acts by landowners in the last few months." He continued, "First was the purchase of the 620-acre Stranahan property at a hugely discounted price, which created the new Stranahan Memorial Town Forest. Now two more (families) have stepped forward to preserve beautiful pieces of land in active farm and forestry use."
High-energy conservation
The Rutland Herald reports that Nancy Bell, who works for the Conservation Fund, has spent more than ten years trying to connect the north and south portions of the Green Mountain National Forest. Through negotiations with different municipalities and private property owners, Bell has strived to establish a continuous area for wildlife to roam across the state.
