Along the banks of the East Branch of the Passumpsic River in East Burke, VT, members of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers joined the ranks of Trout Unlimited, Connecticut River Conservancy, Burke Conservation Committee, Kingdom Trails Association and LEAP AmeriCorps to plant trees to stabilize the riverbank and eventually provide shade to the river and all the critters that live there. In an area known for its high-volume trail-based recreation, stream bank protection is a high priority for the health of the ecosystem.
Over 3 days more than 150 volunteers came out for this Embrace A Streamproject, including students from Lyndon Institute, Newark School, Riverside School, Burke Town School, and East Burke School, connecting a wide variety of people to local conservation. This project is part of an ongoing effort to improve river habitat that started in 2017 with a downstream dam removal.
Efforts like this bring a lot of different folks together around habitat protection, so, in true BHA fashion, the work of planting was followed up with a pint night at the Burke Publick House where the conversation around conservation continued into the evening.
About Matthew Breton
VT State Leadership Team Co-Chair, New England Chapter Vice Chair; Love to track bucks on snow, grouse in the fall, hare in the winter, chase ducks in a canoe, and catch fish any way I can