Save the date! Sneak Preview of an event coming up this spring!
Sponsored by The Vermont Land Trust:
Birding on the West River
DATE: Saturday, May 17
TIME: 7:30 –10:00 AM
PLACE: Riverstone Preserve, West River Trail, Brattleboro, VT
River corridors provide important habitat for migratory and breeding birds. Grab your binoculars and look for birds along the West River Trail.
Registration coming soon! We’ll keep you posted! Check the VLT website for more information.
Over a foot of beautiful powder snow = great ski and snowshoe conditions on the trail! The West River Trail is open from the northern trailhead to a point just north of the bridge construction area. The trail will be closed at the Marina Trailhead and through access will not be permitted from the north, due to unsafe ground conditions.
Signage at the Marina Trailhead and Rice Farm Road Trailhead will indicate current trail status. Check the project’s website for up to date information on the current status of the trail. The northern trailhead access location is on Rice Farm Road, about a mile south of the Iron Bridge.
If you would like additional information, or would like to add others to this distribution list, please contact Cindy Cook, Public Relations Officer, Adamant Accord, Inc. ccook@adamantaccord.com.
The skiing and snowshoeing is fabulous and the West River Trail is open from the northern trailhead to a point just north of the bridge construction area. The northern trailhead access location is on Rice Farm Road, about a mile south of the Iron Bridge.
The trail will be closed at the Marina Trailhead and through access will not be permitted from the north, due to unsafe ground conditions. Signage at the Marina Trailhead and Rice Farm Road Trailhead will indicate current trail status. Check the project’s website for up to date information on the current status of the trail.
If you would like additional information, please contact Cindy Cook, Public Relations Officer, Adamant Accord, Inc. ccook@adamantaccord.com.
The PCL+FIGG Team will conduct the next on-site “trail talk” for the Public on Saturday, February 8, 2014. These trail talks will discuss the status of the I-91 Brattleboro Bridge Project and allow the public to ask questions. The talks will originate at the West River Trail near the marina. The trail talk will be led by Caleb Linn, Project Manager for PCL (lead contractor), and Garrett Hoffman, Design Manager for FIGG (bridge designer).
Interested participants should meet the PCL+FIGG Team at the West River Trail trailhead on Saturday, February 8, 2014, at 8 a.m. and the talk will begin at 8:15 a.m. Participants will walk the trail to the I-91 bridge site, so please wear appropriate clothing and footwear.
The project’s website features up-to-date information about the project, construction photos, and live traffic cameras. If you would like additional information, or would like to be added to the email distribution list for all project updates, please contact Cindy Cook, Public Relations Officer, Adamant Accord, Inc. ccook@adamantaccord.com.
The following article was originally published in The Commons issue #237 (Wednesday, January 15, 2014). To read the full article click here.
BRATTLEBORO—The Friends of the West River Trail and the Vermont Land Trust completed the purchase and conservation of a 23-acre parcel along the West River about a half-mile north of the Interstate 91 bridge. Renamed the Riverstone Preserve, this ecologically diverse site is nestled between the river and the corridor of the historic former West River Railroad.
The West River Trail, now occupying that corridor, is a dominant feature of the property. The trail is used for hiking, bicycling, cross-country skiing, and other non-motorized activities.
The Friends of the West River Trail and the Vermont Land Trust (VLT) worked together to purchase and conserve this parcel. The two organizations received a $65,050 grant from the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board (VHCB) and raised $32,200 in local funds and foundation grants. The Friends own the property and future uses will be in accordance with a conservation easement held by VHCB and VLT. “The Friends are so pleased to have had the opportunity to work with the Vermont Land Trust to conserve this piece of land,” said Kathleen White. “We are grateful to VHCB for the award and to all the donors that helped make this possible, and are excited about how public access to this land will benefit the community.” The land has an unusually rich complement of natural communities, including a floodplain forest, river shore grasslands, and river cobble shore. There are also several rare and uncommon plants, insects, and mussels, whose habitat is now protected.
“The Friends are a dynamic group of volunteers,” said Joan Weir, southeast regional director with the Vermont Land Trust. “It’s been a pleasure to work on this project and we look forward to seeing the continued active stewardship of this treasured resource”. The Friends sought to protect this property because of its ecological features and the recreational, scenic, and educational benefits the land can provide to the greater Brattleboro community.
Plans include enhancing the trail’s accessibility as a community amenity for recreation and school field trips. A picnic area and side trails that provide access to the river shore are envisioned.
Last summer, major trail improvements were the result of the hard work of a crew from the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps. Click the link below to read the end of season report on the VYCC crew time spent on the West River Trail this year. Many thanks to Keegan Tierney, Operations Director and the fabulous VYCC crew!
VYCC Report 2013 Friends of the West River
The West River Trail is open from the northern trailhead to a point just north of the bridge construction area. The northern trailhead access location is on Rice Farm Road, Dummerston, about a mile south of the Iron Bridge.
The trail will be closed at the Marina Trailhead and through access will not be permitted from the north, due to unsafe ground conditions.
Signage at the Marina Trailhead and Rice Farm Road Trailhead will indicate current trail status. Check the project’s website for up to date information on the current status of the trail.
If you would like additional information, please contact Cindy Cook, Public Relations Officer, Adamant Accord, Inc. ccook@adamantaccord.com.
Dreaming of summer. This lego model was made by Zadie Olmstead, 7 years old of West Dummerston. She and her family have spent a lot of time on the WRT in the past year, including participating in the Fun Walk/Run. Her lego model is of the bridge that was rebuilt this summer by the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps. Zadie says “I can’t wait until next summer when I can ride my bike on the West River Trail!”
The West River Trail is OPEN. But please be aware that bridge construction may affect access at the southern trailhead. The trail is open from the northern trailhead to a point just north of the bridge construction area. The northern trailhead access location is on Rice Farm Road in Dummerston.
The week of Dec 15th, the trail will be closed at the Marina Trailhead and through access will not be permitted from the north, due to construction activities.
Signage at the Marina Trailhead and Rice Farm Road Trailhead will indicate current trail status. In addition, we will keep the project’s website up to date on the current status of the trail.
Some pictures from the recent I-91 Bridge Construction Trail Talk. Hosted by PCL and FIGG, the construction and design companies for the bridge, the trail talk was led by Caleb Linn, Project Manager for PCL (lead contractor), and Garrett Hoffman, Design Manager for FIGG (bridge designer).
For additional information, or to be added to an email distribution list for all project updates, please contact Cindy Cook, Public Relations Officer, Adamant Accord, Inc. at ccook@adamantaccord.com.
THE WEST RIVER TRAIL 