Pardon our Mess: Forest Restoration in Progress + Boardwalk Rebuild Beginning

Spring 2024 Newsletter

Protecting the Future Forest

Earth Day marked the beginning of our 2nd year of active restoration work at the South Hero Recreation Park, the public trail and forest adjacent to Folsom School. Volunteers and staff got muddy together grubbing out old growth honeysuckle plants and fixing plant protector tubes on last year’s plantings. On Green Up Day, more volunteers came to plant another 70 native trees and shrubs, and remove more invasive plants.

With the invasive emerald ash borer firmly established in the Islands, our goal for the project is to replant native trees and shrubs under the ash overstory while removing invasive species so there will be a generation of young native trees to take the place of the dying ash.

We are also using this site as a demonstration project—a place where students and other community members learn about the plight of the ash trees, and how get involved in protecting forests on public lands and their own backyards. Many thanks to our partners in this work, including VT Urban and Community Forestry, the South Hero Congregational Church, South Hero Recreation Commission, and many local volunteers (including Folsom students)!

Some of our amazing Green Up Day volunteers

The Water Wigglers boardwalk, built by Eagle Scouts Stefan Pierson and Allen Wilder, is ready for replacement

Rebuilding for Accessibility

This summer we are also taking on another project at the Recreation Park. With funding from Lawson’s Finest Liquids’ Sunshine Fund and the Town of South Hero (ARPA funding), we are rebuilding and enhancing the Water Wigglers boardwalk, which makes the wetland within the Park accessible to people with all kinds of mobility challenges. The boardwalk will be under construction for several months, so please look out for our signs and use the north access point for visiting the Park.

If you want to help with either of these projects, contact Guy at Guy@SHLT.org !