Winooski River Sojourn

The Friends have decided to change the Sojourn, our six day paddling trip, to a biennial schedule.  We will not be holding a Sojourn in 2013. 

We will be scheduling a series of day paddles on the mainstem and some of the tributaries.  These paddles will be spread out from mid-May through September, possibly October. 

We will develop the early part of the schedule by mid to late April so please check back at our Events calendar for dates. 

Spring Volunteer Opportunities are Just Around the Corner!

Spring may feel like a long way off but the Friends will have many volunteer opportunites!

We will have riparian planting projects in Dog River (Northfield), the Headwaters (Marshfield), the Stevens Branch (Barre) and Allen Brook (Williston) in April and May.  In the spring, we will also be hosting at least two residential stormwater education events in Barre and Montpelier.  For the summer, we will need water quality monitoring volunteers for the Headwaters, the Four Rivers area (Stevens, Dog, North and Mainstem) and for the lower Winooski as part of the Chittenden County Stream Team.  

Sign up for our newsletter or check in with the website frequentlyt to stay informed.   

 
 

Friends New Strategic Plan

Since 2005, the Friends of the Winooski River have grown tremendously, engaging in increasingly complex and diverse projects across the watershed. To guide and support continued growth, the Board and staff have developed a strategic plan. 

This document contains 1) an account of the plan development; 2) goals, actions, and tasks for the next five years; and 3) an overview of implementation.

The Friends would like to thank Paul Markowitz, who donated his time to guide us through the creation of the plan, and Laura Killian, who conducted many of the stakeholder interviews.

 

Living in Harmony with Streams: A Citizen's Handbook to How Streams Work

The Friends are extremely excited about our most recent publication: Living in Harmony with Streams: A Citizen's Handbook to How Streams Work.  In the wake of Tropical Storm Irene, there were lots of questions about how to manage our streams.  Should we dredge?  Should we armor the banks?  How do dredging and armoring banks impact the aquatic life?  How do they impact downstream communities? This handbook describes the natural processes of streams and how human development and actions impact those processes.  It also describes the Vermont Rivers Program, stream geomorphic assessment and corridor planning.  After you have read through the handbook,  visit the Vermont River Management page to find many more resources including a list of completed corridor plans.