Vermont Invasives

Richmond’s Winooski River floodplain forest is the largest silver maple-ostrich fern floodplain forest remaining on the upper Winooski River. It is home to a mix of trees, ferns, wildflowers and wildlife that has all but disappeared from Vermont. Now this special landscape and popular recreation area is being invaded.

Highly aggressive, alien plants are pushing out native plants and the wildlife that depend on them. They’re also weakening the riverbank, undercutting its ability to absorb floodwaters and filter out pollutants. Luckily, the infestations are still small enough to root out.

 

The Richmond Floodplain Forest Restoration Project focuses on eradicating these invasive plants along a four-mile stretch of the Winooski River between the Jonesville and Bridge Street bridges in Richmond. We also provide workshops, help and support to property owners and organizations both inside and outside of this project area.

An hour or two at a time, volunteers from throughout our area annually donate a total of hundreds of hours pulling and cutting invasive plants. Tremendous progress has been made, but there are still areas where these plants remain a threat. To help, simply check out our volunteer project dates, pick a convenient time, and show up with gloves, close-toed shoes, water and rain gear.
Tools will be provided.

For further information check us out on Facebook, email richmondrootout@hotmail.com or call Cathy Aikman at 434.7775.

Project Partners

• The Town of Richmond
• Richmond Land Trust
• The Nature Conservancy
• Richmond Conservation Commission
• Vermont Youth Conservation Corps
• Richmond Trails Committee
• VT Dept of Environmental Conservation
• VT Fish and Wildlife Dept.
• Winooski Natural Resource Conservation District

This project is funded in part by grants from the Lake Champlain Basin Program, Environmental Protection Agency and the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department.