Connecting on the Water

South Hero resident Cathy Webster has been helping people with physical disabilities get out on the water for the last 8 years. Inspired by one of her physical therapy clients, who dreamt of finding a way to return to paddling, Cathy created an Adaptive Kayaking Program that is now one of the programs of the Northeast Disabled Athletic Association (NDAA).

South Hero Land Trust and Cathy share the belief that nature is for everyone, which is foundational to the new partnership between SHLT, North Branch Nature Center (NBNC), and NDAA. Starting this year, we piloted a series of 4 naturalist-guided inclusive kayaking events, during which SHLT and NBNC staff joined kayakers to explore and learn about the plants, birds, turtles, and… (READ MORE>>)

Local Matters: A Conversation on Protecting Lake Champlain

In September, South Hero Land Trust’s Jenna sat down with Molly Varner, District Manager for Grand Isle County Natural Resources Conservation District, to talk water, action planning, and block parties. Check out their interview HERE>>

Bike Rides Over the Water & Building Bee Hotels

This summer, South Hero Land Trust led three summer camps for students from across Grand Isle County. In our Farmers & Foragers Camps, 7-9 year old children learned about wild and cultivated foods. They made tea from garden and woodland plants, filled nature journals with dried flowers and weather records, and went on farmer-led tours of local farms. In our Explorers Camp, 11-13 year old children biked around South Hero and beyond. These adventurous campers learned about water quality visiting Round Pond, saw farm conservation at work at Snow Farm Winery and Islandacres Farm, and… (READ MORE>>)

Filling their Plates with a “Fresh Rainbow” from the Folsom Food Forest

This May, SHLT staff met local 3rd and 4th grade students in the Folsom Learning Garden and finally let them do the one thing they always ask to do: get some shovels and dig a bunch of holes. While fun is always a goal in the garden, we dug these holes for good reason: to assess the soil in different parts of the garden and determine the best spot for the Folsom Food Forest.

Last winter, SHLT staff worked with Folsom teachers Dani Holm and Megan Branon to apply for the Vermont Garden Network’s Fruit and Nut Tree Grant… (READ MORE>>)

From the Bedrock to the Blue: Mapping the Places that Matter to You

If you’ve been following the news in South Hero, you may know that South Hero has a new Town Conservation Commission. The Commission is made up of South Hero residents who deeply care about the natural world and local farms, and want to find ways to steward them and connect people with them—just like we do at South Hero Land Trust. One of the first projects of the new Commission was a partnership effort with South Hero Land Trust and the Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife: developing a series of Community Values Maps.

What Do You Love About South Hero?

As a community based conservation organization, South Hero Land Trust is guided by our connection and commitment to the land and people of South Hero. Knowing what you value most about our Island home is vital as we develop projects and programs. Together with the Conservation Commission, we… (READ MORE>>)

Innovations in Forest Stewardship Bring Hope for our Islands Ecosystems

Since the last ice age, South Hero’s landscapes have changed quite a lot. The land where we live now was once a seabed; then forests and meadows; then cleared for sheep and dairy farms. Most recently, some of the forests have grown back, alongside development of new houses and roads. And now, with the arrival of the invasive emerald ash borer, our landscape is poised to change dramatically again.

Ash trees make up an estimated 40-60% of all the trees in Grand Isle County, a higher percentage than any other county in Vermont. With 95-99% of all ash expected to succumb to this invasive insect, we are poised to lose half our County’s mature forests in the next 10-15 years. This will be a “landscape level ecological upheaval,” to borrow a phrase from Nancy Patch, Grand Isle County Forester. It will also have devestating cultural impact for the Abenaki people, whose lives have been entwined with the ash beginning with their creation story. But there is much we can do to save our forests… (READ MORE>>)

Keeler Bay Action Plan Kicks Into High Gear

Margaret Murphy from Vermont Fish & Wildlife dipped her hand into the shallow water beneath her kayak, gently combing through the leaves of aquatic plants as her momentum carried her on. Unlike invasive Eurasion milfoil, these native plants actually benefit the lake, she explained to the group of paddlers gathered around her during the recent “Kayak the Bay” event at Keeler Bay with the Grand Isle County Natural Resources Conservation District (GICNRCD).

Not only do they clean the water by filtering pollutants and uptaking excess nutrients, they also provide habitat for many species of native fi sh, mussels, insects, amphibians and other aquatic life that call the lake home. Rather than look at underwater vegetation as “weeds”, Margaret encouraged us to see instead a thriving underwater forest, an ecosystem that is perhaps… (READ MORE>>)

Conservation Brings Us Together: Community Gleaning Garden Finds New Home

On a warm September afternoon, South Hero Land Trust staff, board members, and volunteers gathered at the South Hero Community Gleaning Garden for a good old fashioned barn raising. Or in this case, a shed raising.

As the work party got underway the garden buzzed with activity: measuring and cutting lumber, nailing and screwing together the framing, and even harvesting peppers and tomatoes bound for local food shelves. Pretty soon it was time to raise the last wall together. Construction of the shed was the final step in settling the Gleaning Garden into its new home at the Landon Farm.

Over the last three years the garden has grown into a core land trust program, thanks to the collaboration of many partners: Kelsey and Phelan O’Connor of Pigasus Meats provide land and water for the garden (adjacent to the Landon Community Trail); the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation funded the garden’s move to its new home; SHLT board member Bob Buermann was the lead… (READ MORE>>)