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2014 Ongoing Projects Town Resource Maps
ONRCD Grass Roots SEED grant The town of West Windsor, VT has completed one of the two maps this grant will cover. Hartland will complete their map this spring.
ONRCD has received a Trees for Streams grant to provide trees along unprotected stream banks. Plantings will be spring of 2014 at four locations approved for this grant. Please contact ONRCD1@gmail.com should you have interest in participating in this program for 2015.
Students participated in planting at Quechee Park - Hartford, VT Riparian buffers will help a stream damaged by TS Irene to repair itself PAST PLANTING PROJECTS May 21, 2011 October 30, 2011 Oct 27-28, 2012 May 3, 2013 Oct 24, 2013 May 9, 2014 Billings Farm, Woodstock, VT
Planting 200+ trees May 2011 post Irene - September 2011
Digging out silted in trees and planting 30+ white pines - October 2011 - May 2012 50% survival!
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October 2012 (Front row) Larry Kasden of the Ottauquechee Natural Resources Conservation District and a Willow tree.
May 2013 TS Irene caused havoc with the Ottauquechee River through Woodstock, VT. It took weeks before the field was passable to determine the damage along the planted bank. Happily, the bank held, however the hardwood and pine plantings up on the bank were so silted over they would not survive. ONRCD joined forces with Trout Unlimited and Billings Farm and planted white pine saplings and dug out and replanted numerous trees on Oct 30, 2011. This spring most of the trees have survived. ONRCD partnered with Connecticut River Watershed Council, Upper Valley Trout Unlimited, Vermont Agency of Natural Resources and Billings Farm to plant an additional 200 trees on October 27, 2012. The buffer was expanded by 35 feet along the bank of the Ottauquechee River on May 3, 2013.
Canaday Foundation donation of trees for TS Irene damage May 25, 2013
140 trees were planted along Piney Hollow Brook, Plymouth, VT
October 2013 River Bank Tree Planting, Woodstock
LOGGING OF A BYGONE ERA Retired forester Dick Nason entertained 75 attendees on Jan 18, 2014 with stories of logging with handsaws and horses
ONRCD plans a follow up program showing how logging methods have evolved to better protect our land and water resources.
If you live on the Kedron Brook or a tributary, become active in helping to keep this waterway clean. April 2010 Over twenty residents met to discuss water issues along the brook August 2010 Basin Plan complete for suggested projects along the brook December 2010 Three grants awarded for projects along the Kedron Brook April 2011 Willow shoots planted along Kedron Brook tributary to control erosion Summer 2012 Livestock exclusion project along the Kedron Brook tributary
Thanks to landowners who are getting invovled, two properties will exclude livestock, by way of fencing Two properties conducted bank restoration to reduce runoff and erosion Want to get involved? Contact us ONRCD1@GMAIL.COM WOODLOT WORKSHOP AUGUST 17, 2012
I learned that people often use the names aspen and poplar interchangeably, and that a forest is a living, growing entity that like children develop through stages that are often not very attractive but need to grow through them in order to mature. - Larry Kasden The first is that sunlight management and soil health are vital considerations in management world. The other point to ponder: there is no right or wrong in nature, only consequences. Brilliant. - Mike Bald Happy to have discovered that in an area where poplars are growing, they will suppress new poplars in that area. Perhaps there is hope to keep trails open! - Sue Greenall I enjoyed meeting so many experts all in one setting and I learned a lot from them. I was fascinated by the never-ending evolution of the forest. Thanks for a very worthwhile workshop. I look forward to attending more in the future. - Mike Brown I learned how much interest there is in supporting the wood products industry as a goal of the program, and a lot about how the forest responds to the forestry. I also learned that pine trees will not grow back. - Timon Malloy I learned that sugar maples have a nickname; rock maple. And that they need lots of calcium in the soil to thrive.- Ron Rhodes
Many thanks to Jon Bouton – Windsor County Forester Forrest Hammond – Wildlife Biologist, VT Fish and Wildlife Sylvia Harris – Natural Resources Conservation Service Patrick Bartlett – Consulting Forester
Missed it? For more information contact SUE GREENALL 436-2266 ONRCD1@GMAIL.COM
CONTROLLING WEEDS WORKSHOP 2011
Looking for weeds Demonstrating safe use of a backpack and tank sprayer
A very successful workshop on controlling pasture weeds and invasive plants was held on Oct. 20, 2011 at Jenny Kimberly’s farm in Windsor, VT. Twelve landowners and five representatives of organizations in the Ottauquechee & Black river basin met at 1PM trusting that the rainy weather would take a break, and it did. Jenny Kimberly, retired Natural Resources Conservation Service soil conservationist, Sylvia Harris, Vermont Association of Conservation District Agricultural Resource Specialist and Mike Bald, owner of Got Weeds, walked the group through the pasture and tree rows identifying weeds and invasive plants. Attendees were able to see an area of pasture that had been sprayed with an herbicide a week earlier. Discussion on how herbicides work and under what conditions they work best followed. A demonstration of a backpack sprayer and a broadcast tank sprayer allowed attendees to learn about application safety practices. Mike Bald demonstrated a weed wrench on a honeysuckle vine and talked about mechanical removal of weeds and invasives. The presenters offered additional material and resources to further educate attendees in the controlling of weeds. Sylvia Harris ended the workshop with a talk about choosing the method of control, whether chemical or mechanical, with safety and positive results in consideration before starting a project. Weed and invasive plant control has been widely talked about in Vermont and this workshop was a step towards giving landowners the tools to identify and start controlling them. A similar workshop will be held next year.
Jenny Kimberly & Sylvia Harris show examples of weeds Mike Bald talks about mechanical removal of weeds Handy information on Weed Control ****************************************
April 26, 2010 issue, page 122 PEOPLE MAGAZINE recognizes Change the World Kids, Woodstock, VT ONRCD is proud to be partnering with these outstanding youth and will be working with them this year to help them bring their "Bosque para Siempre"(Forever Forest) project to fullfillment in Vermont.
ONRCD display at farmer's markets Outreach to the community ONRCD will visit farmer's markets this summer reaching local growers, consumers and home gardeners. Literature on rain barrels and rain gardens, which help reduce excessive runoff during rain events, will be available as well as soil tests for gardens and pastures, information on invasive plants and how to control them. Look for us - we will be there! RAIN BARRELS
Rain barrels redirect water from your roof gutter and downspouts away from walkways and driveways thus preventing erosion during downpours. Stored water can then be used for lawns or gardens. One easy way to help protect streams from runoff and protect your property.
Make your own - Capture the Storm Purchase one - Your Best Rain Barrels
Why build a rain garden when it hasn’t rained? Actually, during a dry period is when rain gardens are most valuable. Heavy downpours create a surplus of rain water that runs off causing erosion and silted waterways. Rain gardens trap the water and disperse it slowly. They can solve driveway washouts, road flooding, and roof gutter water dispersal. Plus, they help retain water for vegetative growth during dry spells. This is a creative way to conserve water quality and save money with the added enjoyment of attracting hummingbirds, butterflies and other native wildlife.
Soil test for your garden or pastures Available at the ONRCD office 28 Farmvu Drive, WRJ, VT (by the post office) drop by or call and we will be happy to give you a kit Backyard Habitats - Rain Gardens Interested in learning more? Contact us and we will direct you to a qualified speaker for your group =================================== ONRCD and its partner organizations offer workshopsthroughout the year on a variety of interesting topics
Japanese Knotweed workshop - 2008
Planting seedlings in our nursery - 2009 Woodstock "Change the World Kids" assisting
Buffer Planting Project - 2009 Billings Farm Buffer Planting Why Stabilize a River Bank?
Local foods are always part of our programs
Join us..... Ottauquechee Natural Resources Conservation District is looking for a few good people to join us in our efforts to keep our environment the best it can be. Who are we looking for ? A person interesting in their surroundings Ability to attend monthly meetings Someone who wants to make a difference An interest in being heard Natural Resources Conservation Service outreach during the past year to beginning and limited resource producers and to previously underserved groups through local groups such as ONRCD has resulted in private working lands being more productive, the environment growing healthier, and countless communities are safer and more economically viable. Dave White NRCS chief We are proud of the many projects we have been involved with that make living in this area a better place. Be proud with us! Annual Report see what we have been doing and are planning to do!
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My students used the table to learn about water, erosion and culverts. Students used what they learned about the movement of water and its affects in connection with what they experienced during Tropical Storm Irene. We invited a guest from the Department of a Natural Resources to discuss the challenges many communities are having in getting funding for the lost/damagedd culverts. Students wrote persuasive essays to persuade FEMA to fund the upgraded culverts as they expressed what they had learned and experienced first hand. Students were very involved in the use of the table, and use their own lunch/studyhall time to explore it beyond our class time. This is a wonderful tool that could be used many times throughout the school year as we cover many topics in science and math.
Dick showed slides and movies showing methods no longer used today
Land Treatment Planning - Brochure Nutrient Management Planning - Brochure Manure Management - Manure handbook Athena Bradley 802-254-3636 or athena@nerc.org Animal Mortality Composting - Composting Brochure
Weighing crops and nutrients = good land management = saving money NRCS Web Soil Survey: http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/ Ottauquechee River Basin Plan 2008: water quality planning documents Marie Levesque Caduto Manure Available Nitrogen Calculator
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Smooth Bedstraw (Galium mollugo)*
Smooth bedstraw is a weed that is rapidly becoming a problem in local pastures and hay fields. It is a non native plant that under less than ideal growing conditions and cutting or grazing management can quickly crowd out native crop plants. See factsheet for more details for combatting this pest.
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