September 2020 -FGRR MAIN ACCOMPLISHMENTS - THE PAST 20 YEARS
-Participated in the establishment of Green River Reservoir State Park (GRRSP).
-Worked with Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation (VDFPR) on developing the Master Plan for Green River Reservoir State Park.
-Wrote and instituted with the Town of Hyde Park the viewshed protection of the Green River Reservoir.
- Designed park facilities such as parking areas, contact station, ADA boardwalk, kiosk with display, award winning composting outhouses, and woodshed/ workshop.
-Monitor the ongoing Morrisville Water & Light dam relicensing and litigation, and keep members informed.
-Meet annually with VDFPR GRRSP staff to coordinate support for the Park.
- Coordinate with VDFPRR on accessibility to the park for persons with disabilities.
-Provide an annual public lecture on the wildlife & habitat of the region.
-Conduct yearly census routes for the Vermont Center for Ecostudies’ Forest Bird Monitoring Program, one of the continent’s longest-running studies of forest bird population trends.
-Contributed to the purchase of bearproof lockers at overnight campsites.
-Participate in the VCE/VFWD annual loon count & nest monitoring.
-Sponsored full-time park stewardship position for 4 years as an educational portion of our mission.
-Publish a biannual newsletter for our members.
-Maintain Friends of Green River Reservoir website, with nature information, past newsletters, and the latest information on the Dam Relicensing issue.
Here's a look at a few of the projects we've been proud to support. Click here for a complete list of projects.
i Naturalist Biodiversity Project
Calling all park visitors who enjoy exploring nature, especially those with cameras or smartphones. You can contribute to a better understanding of what natural species occur within Green River Reservoir State Park. Your subject can be a flower, a bird, a tree, an animal, an insect or any other living organism. Just note its location, try to identify it and, if possible, take a close-up picture of it. Then when you get web access, sign up with iNaturalist.org, search for Biodiversity of Green River Reservoir State Park under Projects. If you don’t know the identity of your subject, check off the ID Please! box and other citizen naturalists will try to identify it for you. Check back in a few days to see if it has been identified. All identifications have to be confirmed by others. For those of you with young children, this is a great way to introduce them to nature.
You can even download an iNaturalist app for your smartphone, When using the app, date will be automatic. Location will also be automatic, depending on your privacy settings. Observations for this project will also show up on the map for iNaturalist Vermont, a broader project covering the entire state that is part of Vermont Center for Ecostudies’ Atlas of Life.
This project is sponsored by Friends of Green River Reservoir in collaboration with the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. As an incentive to get involved, one of our large tote bags or merchandise of similar value will be offered to the person with the most species observed in any one calendar year.
The park has a broad range of natural habitats to explore, from the kettle ponds and intermediate fen in the Zack Woods section to the wide variety of forest types along the shores of the reservoir and the swamps, marshes and bogs at its north end. So go forth and explore. Who knows? You might even discover a new species!
Theresa A Brungardt Award 2016
Cushman Design Group (CDG) and Friend's of Green River Reservoir, received the highest honor, the Theresa A Brungardt award, bestowed by Vermont Recreation and Parks Association. Left to right: Kelley Osgood, project manager of CDG, Terri Gregory, board member of FGRR, Sue Bulmer, Dept. Forest, Parks and Recreation regional manager, Milford Cushman, CDG and vice president of FGRR board. The awards ceremony was September 22nd, http://www.vrpa.org/recognition.html, to read more.
New park contact station
In 2007 we worked with the Department of Forest, Parks and Recreation to permit, design, and construct a new ranger contact station for GRRSP.
ADA Compliant Trail
Between 1999 and 2008 we worked with the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation to complete plans and permitting for an ADA accessible trail to the reservoir.
Forest Bird Monitoring Program
Since 2004 we have participated in the Vermont Center for Ecostudies' annual Forest Bird Monitoring Program (FBMP) for the GRRSP area. Initiated in 1989, the FBMP is now one of the continent’s longest-running studies of forest bird population trends.
Duck nest boxes
Since 2006 we have installed bird nesting boxes in various key areas on Green River Reservoir State Park land.
Grrsp Nature field guide
In 2007 we funded and published a nature field guide for the Green River Reservoir State Park. Thanks to Danielle Owczarski for her work to create the Field Guide. Click below to Download a copy.