Please complete this form if you plan to attend the Act 59 listening session we are facilitating with Vermont Housing and Conservation Board at the Yestermorrow Design/Build School in Waitsfield. Thank you!

One of the many hats that Winooski NRCD wears is that of tactical basin planning partner with the State of Vermont. For the sake of planning and monitoring, the State is divided up into watershed units known as "tactical basins". The Winooski NRCD is intimately involved with planning and monitoring in the Northern Lake Champlain Basin (Basin 5), the Lamoille Basin (Basin 7), and the Winooski Basin (Basin 8). One of the major roles of the basin planning process is to make progress toward achieving the "total maximum daily load" (TMDL) of Phosphorus inputs into Lake Champlain. While Phosphorus is a critical element for the growth of both aquatic and terrestrial plant life, excess Phosphorus in aquatic ecosystems can cause undesirable side effects like algal blooms. 

For decades, Lake Champlain and its contributing watersheds have had an excess of Phosphorus and the State is working to correct that. One of the methods the State is using is the Clean Water Fund, which provides grants and loans for municipalities and non-profits to complete projects that will improve the quality of water entering streams, rivers, and lakes in the Lake Champlain watershed. The current list of eligible projects includes the planting of riparian buffers, restoration of lake shorelines, strategic wood addition to streams, floodplain restoration, gully stabilization, improvements to old logging roads, and improvements to private roads, among others. 

Part of our role as tactical basin planning partners with the State is outreach and education. As a result, we are seeking landowners and residents who are interested in learning about practices they could implement on their property. Are you interested in contributing to the efforts to meet the Lake Champlain TMDL? Want to know what clean water practices you might be able to implement on your property and what the Phosphorus reduction potential would be for those practices? Great! Please reach out to us by completing this form and we will perform an assessment to determine what practices might work on your property and what impact they might have!

If you have any questions, please email daniel@winooskinrcd.org or lucas@winooskinrcd.org.

 Bird Walk at Charlotte Park and Wildlife

 with Guides from Vermont Audubon Society

 Sponsored by Winooski NRCD

The Winooski NRCD in partnership with Audubon Vermont and Mass Audubon is planning a bird walk through Charlotte Park and Wildlife Refuge on June 11th from 8am-11am. This park in Charlotte consists of a large tract of early successional woodlands, meadows, and pastures. The range of significant wildlife habitats at the park supports a diverse variety of avian species. The stewardship leaders at Charlotte Park and Wildlife Refuge have embarked on several conservation journeys to support the local fora and fauna. During the walk we will trek through a wooded area where there will be some time for observations, but the primary focus will be the pastures. As we mosey down a guided path through the pastures, we will discuss how good farm management practices can foster a healthy habitat for grassland birds in addition to having positive impacts on the surrounding environment. We will discuss topics such as soil health, water quality and diverse forage, while observing unique grassland bird species. 

Parking and Accessibility: We will start our walk at the parking area at 1489 Greenbush Rd, Charlotte, VT 05445. Together we plan to walk approximately 1.5 miles on uneven terrain throughout the park. Please wear appropriate footwear and clothing for the wooded area. Bring your binoculars if you have them!