Restoration Roundup

In episode 19 of Restoration Round Up, Lauren Jennes and Michele Braun speak about their respective parts in a new incentive program for landowners: Stream Wise. Stream Wise is going into its second year of operation and is a program meant to assess, advise, and reward the work landowners do to maintain their privately owned riparian areas. Lauren, working with the Lake Champlain Basin Program, discusses the organization's wider vision and goals while Michele, the Executive Director of Friends of the Winooski River, one of Stream Wise's first community partners, explains what working within this assessment framework and with landowners across the valley is like. Join us for an overview of a new and rapidly growing program that benefits larger riparian systems by starting with what is small and privately stewarded.

Today we welcome Jessica Rubin to the podcast to speak about her research around mycorrhizae and other means to improve plant's phosphorous uptake. Jess, who began this work seven years ago with the start of an ecological resilience service called mycoevolve, expanded her research in pursuit of a second masters degree, resulting in two studies in Vermont where she compared site inoculation, plant selection, and site management to determine the best efficacy for removing phosphorous from the landscape.

Listen in for updates on her research, her methods for keeping farmers and Abenaki people and practices involved, and her hopes for the future of mycorrhizae inclusion in restoration work!

In this episode we speak to Will Eldridge, an aquatic habitat researcher, and Jess Colby, the Riparian Lands Project Coordinator at the Northwood Stewardship Center. Together they explain the process of an ongoing study about direct seeding- a method of planting trees and other plants in reforestation projects that may prove to be a powerful tool. This project, begun by Pete Emerson six years ago, is a massive undertaking by multiple stakeholders across the state and will begin showing fruit this upcoming Spring. Stay tuned to see what takes root!

This episode was directed by Cate Kreider.

In many episodes, we have discussed new things, but pausing to look back at how far restoration efforts have come is valuable as well! Join my conversation with Ron Rhodes, Shawn White, Mike Kline, and Chris Smith, all professionals working with this material for at least ten years, as we discuss the evolution of habitat science and buffer planting, the onset of new challenges, and the hopes for headwaters and further cooperation in the future. 

In this episode we speak with Jess Colby, Rob Fitch, and Rhona Thomson about collecting wild seeds for riparian restoration projects. Jess is the Riparian Projects & Forestry Outreach Coordinator with NorthWoods Stewardship Center in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, and Rob and Rhona were on her seed collecting crew this past spring, summer, and fall. We discuss how seed collecting works and why it's important, a very interesting tool called the "Dybvig," collecting seeds from a canoe, and more!

This episode was directed by Cate Kreider.

In this episode we speak with Kathryn Wrigley, Duncan Murdoch, and Leila Faulstich about managing riparian recreational spaces. Kathryn is a Forest Recreation Specialist with the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation (FPR) focusing on the northwest portion of the state; Duncan is the  Natural Areas Stewardship Coordinator for the Intervale Center in Burlington, Vermont; and Leila is the Parks Supervisor for the Montpelier Parks and Trees Department. We discuss the role of volunteer projects in educating the public about riparian areas, challenges and mishaps in management of recreational riparian areas, and more!

In this episode we speak with Karina Dailey (Restoration Ecologist, Vermont Natural Resources Council), Shawn Good (Fisheries Biologist, Vermont Fish & Wildlife), and Gabe Bolin (Water Resource Engineer, Stone Environmental) about the removal of the Pelletier Dam in Castleton, Vermont. We talk about this history of this dam, why and how dam removal benefits stream and riparian habitats, and what makes this project unique.

In this episode we speak with Gus Goodwin (Senior Conservation Planner, The Nature Conservancy VT), Shayne Jaquith (Watershed Restoration Scientist, The Nature Conservancy VT), and Kristen Balschunat (Conservation Water Quality Project Manager, Vermont Youth Conservation Corps) about a project TNC has been working on to restore the Hubbardton River Clayplain Natural Area in West Haven, VT using woody additions and revegetation of the riparian areas. We discuss why they're adding wood, how our rivers have gotten to the state they're in, and what the future for this site and other similar sites might look like. 

In this episode we sit down with Bret Ladago and Will Eldridge, who both work with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department. Bret is a fisheries biologist, who’s been working for the VFWD in different capacities for about 20 years and Will has been an aquatic habitat biologist with the VFWD, where he works to protect and restore habitat for fish and other aquatic organisms, for five years. We discuss the importance of riparian forests for supporting freshwater fish populations, how VFWD selects sites to restore, and how riparian forests can help counteract the impact of climate change on aquatic habitats.

This episode was directed by Liz Woodhull.