A conservation crew from NorthWoods Stewardship Center will be completing two weeks of watershed work this summer thanks to an Ecosystem Restoration Program (ERP) grant from the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The crew—based in the Caledonia County village of East Burke—will address stormwater impairments in the Passumpsic River watershed, including projects in Burke and Newark.
Stormwater runoff is a major contributor to soil erosion, sedimentation and water pollution. The NorthWoods Conservation Corps crew will work with partners at Q Burke Mountain and Burke Mountain Academy to install Low Impact Development (LID) structures such as rain gardens and catchment basins that collect and store stormwater from roofs, parking areas and other impervious surfaces before it reaches nearby waterways. LID structures help to reduce water speed and capture sediment that impairs water quality and aquatic habitats.
NorthWoods will also work alongside local road crews to address roadside erosion and stormwater runoff. The crew will complete the often time-consuming handwork necessary to stabilize culvert headwalls and drainage aprons.
Each year, NorthWoods employs over 60 young people (ages 15-20) to participate in the NorthWoods Conservation Corps. The program offers paid employment, training and environmental education to local youth during a six-week summer work season. Additional projects for 2015 include trailwork, wildlife management projects and other conservation service projects that benefit the public.
Established in 1989, NorthWoods Stewardship Center is a nonprofit environmental education and conservation service organization based in East Charleston, Vermont. Through three programs—education and camps, a youth conservation corps, and the Forest Stewardship Institute—NorthWoods inspires individuals to be stewards of their environment.
Ecosystem Restoration Grants are made available to Vermont municipalities, local or regional governmental agencies, non-profit organizations, and citizens groups as part of the Ecosystem Restoration Program’s on-going efforts to reduce surface water pollution from phosphorus and sediment. Funded projects typically involve efforts to improve stream stability, protect against flood hazards, improve in-stream and riparian habitat, lessen the effects of stormwater runoff, protect and restore riparian wetlands, re-establish lake shoreline native vegetation, and enhance the environmental and economic sustainability of agricultural lands. For more about the ERP grants visit www.anr.state.vt.us/dec.