brattleboro

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Invasive Plants Workday at the Riverstone Preserve

Dame's Rocket

Happy Spring! Come join other volunteers to learn to identify and pull common invasive plants on the Riverstone Preserve.

Workday details:
When: Sunday, May 21 from 9 am to 11 am
Where to meet up: The South Sibosen trailhead at 9 am. There is a sign identifying the interpretive trail. It’s about 1 1/2 miles from the Marina trailhead.
What to bring: Work gloves, water, sunscreen, insect repellent. 
RSVP and for questions: lowersection@westrivertrail.org

We will be hosting invasive work days monthly from now through the fall–and will announce them on this website and the West River Trail Facebook page. Hope you will join us!

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Vermont Winter Trails

The West River Trail was recently featured in an article on little-known Vermont winter trails. 

Here’s an excerpt:

For a small state, Vermont is big on trails. Fortunately, access to Vermont winter trails can happen without going to a ski resort or traversing the backcountry. The Green Mountain State is home to a variety of smaller Vermont winter trails and trail networks offering snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.

The 36-mile West River Trail includes an Upper Section in Londonderry, Jamaica, and Townshend and a Lower Section in Brattleboro and Dummerston. Most of the trail system is not groomed for skiing. However, the Army Corps of Engineers grooms in the Winhall Campground and along a few miles in the Upper Section.

Upper Section access points include the Winhall Campground and the trail head at the end of West River Street in South Londonderry. Lower Section parking and access is at the Marina Trailhead or Rice Farm Road in Dummerston.

Click through to read the full article here. Thanks to Erica Houskeeper at Happy Vermont for the feature!

Happy Winter!

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West River Trail Featured on VPR

West River Trail Winter

The reports from earlier this year are in, and all across the state, the number of people using Vermont’s hiking trails was way up.

Whether it was the Long Trail, Vermont’s State Parks, or developed trails in our towns and cities, people flocked to the outdoors during the early months of the pandemic.

Listen to the full story at VPR online.

“There’s a certain peace that I feel walking along this river. Nothing like walking near water, or being near water that soothes the soul, so to speak. It’s consoling during this time of great anxiety and isolation.” – Robert Peeples, Brattleboro resident

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Help Clean Up the Wetlands!

Posted on behalf of the Connecticut River Conservancy:

This Saturday is Green-up Day. Many of you may have plans already, but if you don’t, please join Kathy Urffer, River Steward for the Connecticut River Conservancy (and local businesses, organizations and friends) to remove tires from the wetlands adjacent to the West River on Spring Tree Road. We will be meeting at 8:30 am at The Marina Restaurant (28 Spring Tree Road, Brattleboro, VT) on Saturday, May 4th and will be working on this until around noon.

Agenda for day:
8:00 am: Kathy on site for set up
8:30 am: volunteers arrive: welcome, job delegation, training
9:00 am: GO! CLEAN! GO!
12:30 pm: finish up and cleanup

Kathy will have: trash bags, gloves, t-shirts, tire and trash tally sheets, tarps You should bring: bug spray, water bottle, muck boots/ hip or chest waders, sunscreen (dare to dream!), carabiners for your keys and if you are willing, extra tarps (they will get dirty!)

Thanks in advance if you can come help out! Please spread the word! ~ For questions, contact Kathy Urffer, River Steward, Connecticut River Conservancy, formerly Connecticut River Watershed Council. 802-258-0413. kurffer@ctriver.org

Image courtesy of Green Up Vermont. More Green Up Day activities featured in the Brattleboro Reformer. Click through for more info.

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Bag a Bean for the West River Trail

The Brattleboro Food Co-op’s Bag a Bean program is a convenient way for shoppers to donate money to local organizations. Many thanks to the Co-op for featuring The West River Trail in April. If you shop at the Brattleboro Food Co-op this month, please consider donating your beans to the West River Trail. Each Fava bean is worth 5¢ each, and helps support improvements to the West River Trail.

How does it work? For every reusable bag or container you use during your shopping trip, we will provide you with a Fava bean at the register. These Fava beans are worth 5¢ each when donated to one of the three local non-profits displayed at our exit. Each month there are three different organizations to choose from (organizations are featured on a rotating basis).

Visit or Contact:
Brattleboro Food Coop
2 Main Street
Brattleboro, VT 05301
Hours: Monday – Saturday: 7am-9pm, Sunday: 9am-9pm

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Volunteers pull 135 tires from marsh

Brattleboro-Reformer-Photo-20181009-130632-TiresTwo-T5_00243

Kathy Urffer, the Connecticut River Watershed Council’s River Steward for Vermont and New Hampshire, stands next to truck tires that were pulled from a marsh near Spring Tree Road.

Impressive clean-up effort near the West River Trail! Click link for the full story on the Brattleboro Reformer website. Photo courtesy of the Brattleboro Reformer.

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Early Spring Trail Report (Southern Section)

The Southern Section of the West River Trail is emerging from the grip of winter’s snow and ice. Though patches of snow still hug the trail, the muddy sections are a sure sign of early spring.  Alongside the trail, hunks of ice cling to the banks of the West River, but the geese have returned to swim in the open waters. The rock cliffs are drenched with spring melt, the few remaining icicles disappearing rapidly, wildflowers to follow soon.

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A Bridge to Nature

A short walk from the Marina Trailhead on the West River Trail sits one of two riverside viewing platforms. The other is located directly across the river, and can be accessed from Vermont Route 30. The twin platforms are part of the new I-91 bridge, completed in Autumn 2017. A short walk from the bustle of town, directly below a busy highway,  the viewing platforms sit close to nature and the flow of the river.

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Winter Trail

The West River Trail is beautiful in all seasons. During the winter months, a walk along the trail and along the shoreline of the Riverstone Preserve can reveal a magical landscape of ice and snow formations. Photos of icicles and icebergs courtesy of Kathleen White and Jim Webster.

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West River Trail Work Day Saturday, November 18, 10 AM-2 PM (weather permitting)

West River Trail, VermontWe will meet at the Marina trail head on Saturday Nov 18 at 9:45 and begin our walk in at 10 AM.  We will be working on clearing leaves from drainage ditches and culverts, clearing a few trees off the trail, putting up caution signs on the Fox Farm Road trail access road and whatever else we see that needs doing.

Wear your boots, work gloves and warm clothes; bring water and a snack, rakes and shovels.  We will have tools as well.  Stay for as long as you can.  Contact lowersection@gmail.com with questions or to RSVP.  We look forward to working with you on this beautiful trail!  Thank you in advance!  (Our sincere apologies to anyone who showed up on October 29.  We forgot to announce that we needed to cancel.  We’ll not let that happen again!)