News & Resources
Read the Latest News from Free VT Rivers.
Your destination for news and events about dam removals, river restoration, and more!
Dunklee Pond cleanup underway
This article originally ran in the Rutland Herald on August 10, 2021 Almost 2 years after the city’s emergency demolition of the Dunklee Pond Dam, the state is cleaning up what’s left. A team led by the Vermont Natural Resources Council is overseeing the removal of... Read more »
Press release: Vermont Natural Resources Council begins Dunklee Pond Dam removal in Rutland
August 6, 2021 — Removal of the Dunklee Pond Dam on Tenney Brook in the City of Rutland, Vermont is now underway following a three-year design and permitting process. The dam is classified as a... Read more »
Request for Construction Bids: Dunklee Pond Dam Removal
The Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC) is seeking competitive bids to remove Dunklee Pond Dam and restore Tenney Brook in Rutland, Vermont. The goal is to remove the failing dam and accumulated sediment to reduce... Read more »
Tree Planting in Colchester is a Big Success!
Along with Winooski NRCD and volunteers, Free VT Rivers organizations planted 1,000 trees along Indian Brook in Colchester on May 21 & 22, at the former site of the Mill Pond Dam, which was removed... Read more »
May 21 & 22: Help us Plant Trees!
After a dam is removed, the work isn’t done. Next comes reseeding the floodplain and restoring the riparian (streamside) ecosystem for wildlife and water quality. The Winooski Natural Resources Conservation District (NCRD) is organizing a... Read more »
May 5: Tree Planting at Bull Run in Northfield
In 2020, Friends of the Winooski River and partners completed work to remove the former Camp Wihakowi Dam and restore the floodplain along Bull Run in Northfield. Find more here about that project. Now, volunteers... Read more »
Ecosystem Restoration Grant is due April 22
The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Clean Water Initiative Program (CWIP) is pleased to announce the state fiscal year (SFY) 2021 Request for Proposals (RFP) for Ecosystem Restoration Grants for Dam Removal Projects. These... Read more »
April 8: Reconnecting Rivers and Restoring Ecosystems
What: Karina Dailey, Ecological Restoration Coordinator at VNRC, will discuss ways to restore ecosystems and the relationships between rivers, dams, and other bodies of water, with an emphasis on collaborative work across various organizations and... Read more »
Going with the flow is good for nature, good for business
Take it from Lisa Burr, owner of The Woods Lodge in Northfield. In the Bennington Banner today, Burr explains how removing a derelict dam on her property made the land safer and more beautiful, saving her business. It also... Read more »
Resources
- Let Them Flow Wild & Free: A Guide to Dam Removal for Beginners
- User’s Guide to Vermont Dam Removals: A Basic Handbook for Project Managers
- Bringing Back Wild Trout: Will Restoration Efforts Change Recreational Fishing?
- Vermont Dam Task Force Update: April 12, 2021
- Vermont Dam Task Force Update: March 31, 2021
- Vermont Dam Task Force Update: March 15, 2021
- Vermont Dam Task Force Update: March 1, 2021