In the past few months, SLT has continued to make progress with our stewardship goals to preserve the health of our conserved lands and trails and to improve the outdoor experience for users. Student volunteers from Stowe High School and Mount Mansfield Academy have played a big role in our recent trail work. With their enthusiastic help, we’ve replaced a footbridge at Wiessner Woods and cleared the entire Rime Line ski trail in Kirchner Woods to ready it for use. Ed Miller, chainsaw volunteer extraordinaire, has also removed the largest downed trees from the Kirchner Woods trails.
In Kirchner Woods, foot grips have been installed on a slippery footbridge along the Upper Bucket Trail and we will continue to install additional grips where needed. SLT Volunteer Land Stewards are now using cutting-edge phone technology to take geo-tagged photos of needed work and submit real-time reports to SLT staff during their property visits.
SLT is leaping into 2024 with aspirations for more improvements to the trails in Kirchner and Wiessner Woods, a preliminary trails accessibility study on select SLT trails, and a summer workshop series for SLT volunteers and landowners of SLT-conserved lands.
You may not be thinking of trail work amid winter, but now is the time that SLT is planning work and scheduling groups for the growing season. Not sure where to start? There are many options! You can become a Land Steward, join open workdays, or schedule your own group to volunteer. SLT also works with employers who want to schedule a paid service trip for their employees. Reach out to Nicole, SLT Lands and Trails Steward, if you want to lend a hand in 2024!