These freshly planted tree stems will slow and filter stormwater and other nutrients before flowing into the Ottauquechee River. TRORC photos
Vermont Business Magazine The Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission (TRORC) and the Connecticut River Conservancy (CRC) recently completed a tree planting at Billings Farm in Woodstock. A total of 112 trees were planted along the Ottauquechee River thanks to the help of 9 volunteers, including members of the Greater Upper Valley chapter of Trout Unlimited, Sustainable Woodstock, Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, the Ottauquechee River Group, and additional members of the community! These trees will help protect the Ottauquechee River by slowing rainwater runoff, capturing carbon dioxide, and improving water quality.
This planting was the culminating event of a larger 18-month project entitled, Our Ottauquechee, which focused on improving the resilience of the Ottauquechee River watershed. Over the course of this project, TRORC worked with the Ottauquechee Natural Resources Conservation District (ONRCD) and Shelburne Farms to promote the identity and resiliency of the Ottauquechee River through outreach at local events, stream table trainings, watershed education and curriculum development, monitoring support, and landowner outreach.
TRORC staff member Jess Richter prepares to plant trees.
Jessica Richter, a planner at TRORC, adds that, “The Our Ottauquechee project has played a vital role in improving watershed resiliency as well as engaging communities in our region on the importance of a healthy watershed. We hope to build off of the partnerships made during this project and continue to promote improved water quality not only in the Ottauquechee watershed, but throughout the entire TRO region.”
TRORC applied for and received the Building Resilience in a Vermont Watershed grant through the High Meadows Fund in 2017. Special thanks go out to the High Meadows Fund for funding this overall project and to both Billings Farm & Museum and One Tree Planted who contributed funds to cover the trees planted at Billings Farm.
TRORC provides professional planning, mapping, facilitation, grant writing, and project management services for its thirty member towns in east-central Vermont.
Tree Poster: ‘Our Ottauquechee’ illustrations created by Angelique McAlpine, a Visual Practitioner at Drawing Impact.
Source: (Woodstock, VT)—TRORC 6.24.2019