November 13, 2020 by EW

Trail Use Increases

West River Trail user counts 2013 - 2020, West River Trail, Brattleboro, VT.

The Windham Regional Commission does routine counts of the use of the West River Trail. Counts from this past April and September show an increase in trail use since COVID-19 for both walkers and bicyclists. Great to see that so many of us are able to utilize the West River Trail during this challenging time.

A big thanks to Jeff Nugent for his work on tracking trail use and for creating and sharing this graph. For more information on the work of the WRC, please visit their website at windhamregional.com. Click on the image above for the full 2 page report.

Keep yourself and others safe on the West River Trail by following posted COVID-19 safety protocols.

Please share this area safely and responsibly.
Use the trail only if you feel well and have not been exposed to someone who has COVID-19.
Practice social distancing – maintain at least 6 feet between yourself and those not in your family.
Wear a mask. Save N95 masks for healthcare professionals; use a homemade cloth mask, purchased mask, or bandana.
Avoid shared surfaces such as benches, picnic tables, railings.
Consider less traveled trails if the trail or parking lot appears crowded.

If you use the trail regularly, and are in a position to support the trail, please consider making a donation to help maintain the trail. The Friends of the West River Trail is a registered 501 (3) (c) organization. Click HERE TO DONATE.

Enjoy the trail and be well and stay safe!

March 10, 2019 by EW

Windham Regional Commission Trails Count

The excerpt below is from the Windham Regional Commission Trails Count Program. Click through to read the full story on the WRC website.

Would you believe that dozens of people each day were out on the West River Trail? Windham Regional Commission has expanded its pedestrian count program to the winter months, and recent data both surprised and pleased us.
Counts on the West River Trail in Brattleboro from December 11, 2018 through New Year’s Day 2019 were only about 15 percent lower than the long term average for non-winter months. It was probably the short days as much as, if not more so, than the cold though that kept people from getting out. We came to this conclusion because while weekday counts for that period were lower than average, weekend counts, when people are more likely to have an opportunity to get out during daylight hours, were exactly the same as the long term average for data recorded in spring, summer, and fall.
On Christmas Day we recorded 110 “trips” on our West River Trail counter. A “trip” is one person passing in one direction on the trail. At a place like the West River Trail where most people go out and back, we can estimate the number of persons using the trail to be about half the number of trips. This would mean about 55 people were out on the West River Trail on Christmas Day, about 50 on New Year’s Eve day, and about 68—our highest daily number—on December 29.

May 5, 2015 by EW

Village and Downtown Revitalization Workshop Series: Making Things Happen

Join the WRC (Windham Regional Commission) on May 6th to learn what villages and downtowns in southern Vermont have undertaken to bring renewed vitality to their communities. The Friends of the West River Trail will highlight the steps they took to revitalize the South Londonderry Depot and the West River Trail. This event will offer valuable opportunities to network with other local communities and regional and state entities.

Where: South Londonderry Depot, 34 West River Street, South Londonderry, VT
When: Wednesday, May 6, 2015, 5:30-7:30pm
Who should attend: Individuals and groups who work on or are interested in working on village and downtown revitalization in southern Vermont.

To RSVP or for more information contact:
Susan McMahon: susan@windhamregional.org · (802) 257-4547 x114
Bill Colvin: bcolvin@bcrcvt.org · (802) 442-0713 x1
To RSVP by Doodle Poll:
http://doodle.com/cq69asube7ecmbf9

If you have any additional questions about the workshop series, please contact Susan McMahon at susan@windhamregional.org or ext 114. We look forward to seeing you at our next workshop!

(In December 2012 the U.S. Economic Development Administration awarded the Bennington and Windham regions funding from the Disaster Recovery Grant program* to bring additional professional capacity to Southern Vermont to assist with economic recovery post Tropical Storm Irene. Through this grant, a major focus of the regional commissions’ work will be village and downtown revitalization and assisting municipalities with economic recovery. As part of that assistance, workshops such as this are being held.)