Pollution in Lake Champlain is a hot topic in the news these days, and many are aware of local and statewide efforts to improve our waterways. However, despite increased attention paid to water quality issues, many people lack an understanding of watershed dynamics, including how water flows from one area to another.  

While watersheds can extend beyond political boundaries like town lines, the 6,900-acre Allen Brook watershed is almost entirely within Williston. In an effort to shed some light on basic watershed concepts as well as the unique attributes of the Allen Brook watershed, the Town of Williston Planning Department and Conservation Commission recently developed and installed a new wayside interpretive exhibit. The exhibit consists of six interpretive signs in the Williston Community Park and along the Allen Brook Nature Trail. The signs highlight the natural and recreational benefits the Allen Brook provides, raise awareness of how development and stormwater disposal adversely affect the stream, and identify simple, effective actions that can be taken to protect the watershed. 

The exhibit was funded in part by a Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife Watershed Grant. Technical and design assistance was provided by the Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) through the Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership wayside exhibit program. LCBP has partnered with more than a dozen groups, including local towns, not-for-profits, State parks, and Federal agencies, to develop wayside exhibits telling the unique local stories of the Lake Champlain region. Now the Allen Brook is one of those stories. 

Check out the new exhibit at the Williston Community Park and along the Allen Brook Nature Trail, or view a “virtual tour” at http://arcg.is/meuCP . To learn more about water quality and how you can help, visit the Lake Champlain Basin Program’s website at www.LCBP.org.  

 

 

The Vermont Master Naturalist:  Williston Program will create a close-knit team of naturalists with specific training in Williston’s natural history across the earth, life and social sciences, who understand and can “read” the landscapes of Williston.  Williston has a rich natural heritage with habitat ranging from kettle hole bogs to schist ridges. Diversity underfoot gives rise to over a dozen natural communities resulting in an abundance of rare plant species.  Moose, bobcats, coyotes, bears, beavers, deer and foxes either pass through Williston or live here year around.  The Vermont Master Naturalist Program connects Williston citizens to the nature of their region through professional training based on the landscape level training of the UVM Field Naturalist Program and volunteer projects. Candidates will spend time on each site reviewing the geology, soils, hydrology, plants and animals (natural communities), human land use history, and signs of processes like wind, fire, or deer browse.  We will also discuss the conservation history and management issues relevant for each site.  The town will benefit long term from a community of naturalists acting as a brain trust for solving ecological issues facing our wild lands and serving as expert resources for conservation education in our schools and communities.   Field dates for 2018-2019 program will be four Saturdays:  November 10, February 16, April 13 and May 4.  Cost $395.  Scholarships available.  For information and to receive an application contact:  Laura Meyer laura.e.meyer@gmail.com  or Alicia Daniel Alicia.Daniel@uvm.edu

Wildlife Observed in Williston

Have you ever looked out of your window to see a Gray Fox running across your lawn? Have you ever been driving home from work and seen a White-tail Deer crossing the road in front of your car? If your answer to either of those questions was yes, then we'd like you to post these observations on the “Wildlife Observed in Williston” iNaturalist page. The “Wildlife Observed in Williston” iNaturalist page was created in order to bring about a better understanding of the distribution of wildlife species across the Williston landscape. Your observations will be used to help further refine the Significant Wildlife Habitat Area map, used to regulate new development in Williston. Check back soon to find out more information on an upcoming iNaturalist training that we will be offering. Thanks!

You can find the page here: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/wildlife-observed-in-williston or search “Wildlife Observed in Williston” on the iNaturalist app on your mobile device. 

Williston Receives $400,000 Community Forest Grant

The Town of Williston received a $400,000 grant from the USFS Community Forest and Open Space Program for the Catamount Community Forest. The Forest Service awarded $2 million to seven Community Forest projects nationwide. Of these, the Catamount Community Forest was ranked #2! This award is a critical piece of funding for the project, and will serve as a catalyst for additional funding. Here is a Press Release about the grant award.

Public Forum - Catamount Community Forest

The Williston Conservation Commission and the Trust for Public Land are hosting a Public Forum on February 2, 2017 at 7 PM to discuss the Town of Williston’s potential acquisition of 370± acres of the current Catamount Outdoor Family Center land for a new Town Forest, with free public access for walking and snowshoeing. Please join us at the Williston Town Hall for an engaging evening of learning more about the Town Forest project and discussing some of the decisions to be made about its management. Refreshments will be provided.

For more information about the project:

Catamount Community Forest - project summary