|
|
The Cross-Vermont Trail is currently a project of the Vermont
Agency of Transportation. The CVT is in the process of becoming incorporated as a
non-profit organization.
On Saturday, June 5, nearly 40 people turned out to volunteer and participate in the events at the National Trails Day held at Blue Mountain Union School in Wells River, VT. Coordinating the events were Mike Thomas and Alice Allen, both residents of Newbury and longtime supporters of the Cross-Vermont Trail. The two trails that were the focus of the day's activities were the Cross-Vermont Trail and the Boltonville Nature Trail.
Thankfully, the weather was mercifully mild. The mercury didn't push very far over 85 degrees, and the deer flies, mosquitoes, and blackflies were nearly nonexistent. In contrast, the temperature had hit the 100-degree mark in Newbury only a day or two before.
There was plenty of work to be done. Projects ranged from brushing and weedwhacking to chainsawing blowdowns and digging of drainage ditches. Many people brought or donated the use of their own tools for the day. The Vermont Youth Conservation Corps also generously loaned us the use of over 20 tools for drainage and brushing work. Nearly two-thirds of the people that attended the events also leant a hand to help accomplish some of the much needed trail projects. A special thanks goes out to Al Stevens, State Representative for Orange County, who bush hogged the length of the section worked on that day with his tractor.
Besides trail work, there were opportunities for guided walks along the Cross-Vermont and Boltonville Nature Trails. Volunteers from Blue Mountain Union School offered their services as trail guides.
Lunchtime brought a well needed break. Food was served grille-style, and vegetarian options were available. The meal was donated and served by volunteers from the Blue Mountain Grange. Despite the relatively cool temperatures, the large supply of refreshments (juice, soft drinks, spring water, milk) that had been donated for the day by Hood Dairy were eagerly snatched up. During the mid-day break, there was a raffle, with prizes that included Trails Day T-shirts and hiking and bicyciing equipment. There was also a demonstration by Gerry Hawkes of Bike Track, Inc. of his EcoTrack panels (see photo on page 3). He placed them over a groundwater seep on the Boltonville Nature Trail to protect the fragile seep community from foot traffic. The panels work extremely well! Gerry is very active in promoting bicycle travel as an alternative means of transportation. His web site is www.biketrack.com.
Following the meal, it was back to work, and the work continued until nearly 4:30 PM. An extremely enthusiastic group of students from the Blue Mountain Union School worked on the largest drainage project (see photos on pages 3 and 4), along with several other volunteers including Wayne, Dorothy, and Henry Knell of Groton, VT. This project involved the removal of several trees, and the installation of two extremely long (approx 100 feet) ditches on either side of a flooded section of the railbed. The surface of the trail in the flooded section was also built up with added soil and a "corduroy" of cut branches. The work reached a feverish pitch near the end, and despite the fact that the day was officially over, many volunteers stayed and continued to work until both ditches were fully completed and the water finally began to drain from the trail. An epilogue to this project is a recent letter received from Steve Desroches of Groton, VT, who revisited the Newbury section of the CVT with family on Father's Day. He had also worked on this section on June 5, and he reports that it has drained completely - a remarkable improvement from the ankle-deep water in the past.
Volunteers included Alice Alien, Neil Baker, Sandy Bedard, David Caron, Seth Coffey, Gedeon Desroches, Joe Desroches, and Steve Desroches, Charles Doerlich Jr., Janet Beegle Gay, Lucy Gibson, Tom Gould, John Gordon, Susan Gordon, Lucy Heath, Sammy Heath, Mary Hensley, Dorothy Knott, Henry Knott, Wayne Knott, David Lapham, Jacob Mills, Steven Mills, Kristen Page, Rose Paul, Todd Powers, Travis Rosa, Crystal Smith, Al Stevens, Chris Stock, Mike Thomas, Hetty Thomas, Irv Thomas, Anne Tyler, Jennifer Waite, Nancy Wyman, Blue Mountain Grange, Hood Dairy, and many others!
In the summer of 1992 some trail advocates from the State of Vermont's Agency of Natural Resources conceived the idea of an all-season east-to-west trail that would span the width of the state, linking the Connecticut River to Lake Champlain.
They received help from the Rivers and Trails Assistance Program of the National Park Service. Many other groups and individuals became excited about the project: the Vermont Association of Snow Travelers (VAST), the Vermont Trails and Greenways Council, the town of Stowe, and Vermont Life Magazine were early supporters.
The CVT is proposed to be Vermont's first east-west, long-distance, multi-use trail spanning 75 miles from the Connecticut River in Wells River to Lake Champlain in Burlington. Many communities west of Montpelier would utilize existing and future bike/recreation paths as well as on-road routes to complete their sections of the CVT. Towns east of Montpelier would utilize portions of the former Montpelier and Wells River Railroad bed to develop their sections of the CVT. As much as possible, the trail would provide a safe and scenic link between village centers, public places, schbols and playgrounds, and state parks. It would be created in privately owned areas only with the consent of property owners and the towns it crosses.
The ultimate goal for the CVT project is to have each of the 17 communities along the proposed route develop and maintain their section of the trail. Since each section of the proposed trail would effectively belong to and be maintained by people in the town that it went through, the same town would be eligible to hold any recreation easements with private landowners. The State of Vermont also has an excellent landowner liability law, which protects landowners when public trails cross their property. Although still primarily in the planning stages in most areas, the goal of the Cross-Vermont Trail is to become its own incorporated nonprofit organization. This organization would be run by a steering committee composed of volunteers from each of the towns along the route.
The Montpelier & Wells River Railroad was organized in 1867. Construction began in late 1870 and was completed in late 1873. The Barre Branch Railroad, built in 1888-1889, connected to the Montpelier & Wells River Railroad at the so-called Gallison Hill Wye, located just east of Montpelier, near the present junction of US Routes 2 and 302. Upon its completion, the Montpelier & Wells River Railroad leased the Barre Branch Railroad. For most of its life, the Montpelier & Wells River Railroad was owned by a subsidiary of the Boston & Maine Railroad and operated as a feeder to the B&M's extensive New England railroad system. In 1944, the Montpelier & Wells River Railroad was sold to the Barre & Chelsea Railroad, by which it was operated until its abandonment in 1956. Late in 1956, the line from downtown Montpelier to Barre was sold to the newly organized Montpelier & Barre Railroad for continued railroad operation. However, the tracks between the Gallison Hill Wye and Wells River were scrapped.
When you are travelling on this railbed, you are following a part of Vermont's history - the Wells River Railroad helped to build many of the towns and families that make up the rich tapestry that is Vermont's cultural legacy.
For more information about the CVT, or to volunteer to help develop the trail in your community, you may contact the Cross Vermont Trail Coordinator at the following address, phone number, or E-mail:
Eric Scharnberg In April of 1999, the Waterbury portion of the Waterbury/ Duxbury Recreation Path, which was created by a partnership between the State of Vermont, Greenpaths of Waterbury, and the towns of Waterbury and Duxbury, was designated as the newest section of the Cross Vermont Trail.
This one-and-a-half-mile section of the CVT is a great trail for walking, jogging, bicycling, skiing and snowshoeing. It's perfect for a nature walk or family outing, and there are plenty of stores in town to purchase food and beverages or to get your bike repaired. You can follow the CVT in Waterbury starting at the Waterbury side of the Winooski Street Bridge. From there follow the 4" by 6" CVT markers to the Hope Cemetery access road where the trail takes a right. At this point you will also be on the Waterbury/Duxbury Recreation Path which runs behind the State of~ermont office complex. Follow the CVT and Waterbury/Duxbury Recreation Path markers until you reach a parking lot at the south end of the state complex at the Environmental and Agricultural Lab building. Continue west through the parking lot until you reach a main driveway and take a right towards south Main Street. Once you reach south Main Street take a right onto the sidewalk. Follow the CVT markers until you reach the Waterbury/Duxbury town line at the bridge over the Winooski River.
In May of 1999, the Chittenden County Metropolitan Planning Organization generously awarded the town of Richmond $8000 from their TLC grants program (Transportation for Liveable Communities). The money will be used to identify a safe and cost-effective on-road and off-road route through the town of Richmond to connect the Williston and Bolton sections.
Areas addressed will include necessary road improvements that are needed to install bike and pedestrian lanes on both sides of several roads for safe recreational use. The town of Richmond will hire a project planning consultant by Fall 1999, and hopes to begin actual improvements by Summer 2000.
In July of 1999, Bob Whalen, the City of Burlington's Superintendent of Park Planning and Development, will place the CVT trail markers at critical points to guide cyclists through Oakledge Park. One of the most beautiful sections of the proposed CVT Trail corridor, the Burlington Bikepath winds its way along the waterfront of Lake Champiain. Bicycle Magazine has previously declared this path in Oakledge one of the top 5 scenic rides in the U.S. Outside of the park boundary, the Burlington Bike Path continues for 1.4 miles, where it reaches Perkins Pier, which is located at the King Street Ferry dock. At the suggestion of several Burlington area recreationists, Bob agreed to mark this section of trail as well, bringing the total mileage of secured CVT to approximately 17.3 miles. The Cross Vermont Trail will apply for a grant in September to build an informational kiosk to explain the CVT and the other trails that intersect at that location.
This section utilizes the portion of the Burlington Waterfront Bikeway that runs from Queen City Road to Oakledge Park, and then out to Perkins Pier, which is the western terminus of the CVT. It is approximately 3.5 miles long.
This section follows the Waterbury/Duxbury Recreation Path, and is 1.5 miles in length. A more detailed description of the route call be found in the article on Waterbury on page xxx in this edition of the CVT Newsletter.
A portion of the railbed in this town is open and improved for recreational travel, and has CVT markers installed. This 1.3-mile section starts just east of Rte. 14, and ends at the East Montpelier-Plainfield town line, where there is a gate blocking the corridor. Beyond this gate, the CVT has not yet been designated or blazed.
This is the longest section of the CrossVermont that is currently open for public use. It is nearly 11 miles in length and, although it exists in both Groton and Marshfield, it is only blazed as the CVT within the boundaries of Groton State Forest. A good access point is the parking lot at Ricker Pond on Rte 232, in Groton.
(* Note that both the Groton State Forest and E. Montpelier sections of the CYT are on VAST snowmobile trails. when traveling these sections in winter, users must acknowledge that snowmobiles have the right-of-way. Thus, skiers and snowshoers should act safely and use proper trail etiquette when encountering other trail users. These sections are adjacent to private land: it is crucial to obey any and all "no trespassing" signs in order to maintain partnerships between trails and private landowners.)
In September and October of 1999, numerous grants will be available to interested communities along the proposed Cross-Vennont Trail corridor. If awarded, these grants can be used in two ways: for project planning to identify safe routes and necessary improvements, or for actual construction and costs of materials. Most grants can pay for as much as 80% of all project costs. The remainder can be matched by the towns applying for the grant, with funds from other grants, or even through volunteer work time (not always applicable). Fall 1999 grants and deadlines are listed on the following page.
September 1, 1999: National Park Service Rivers and Trails Program.
September 3, 1999: VT Agency of Transportation Enhancements Program (letter of intent).
September 6, 1999: REI Conservation Grant, REI Community Recreation Grant.
October 31, 1999: Lake Champlain Basin Program.
November 8, 1999: VT Agency of Transportation Enhancements Program (application).
November 15, 1999: New England Grassroots Environmental Fund.
To find out more about these grant opportunities and whether they apply to the proposed route the Cross-VT Trail in your community, contact Eric Scharnberg, Cross-Vermont Tail Coordinator (see page 4 for address, phone, and Email).
A 1995 survey of town meeting goers in East Montpelier, Plainfield, Marshfield, Groton, Ryegate, and Newbury shows there is strong support for an eastwest trail across central Vermont. The survey asked what folks thought about the idea of the Cross Vermont Trail. Of the 228 respondents from all six towns, 79% said it was a great idea and another 10% said it was a good idea. 8% did not like the idea. 3% were either undecided or did not respond.
The survey also asked questions about whether folks use the old railbed now, and how they would use a recreation path if one were created. Nearly 60% of the respondents offered to help the trail effort. If you would like to get involved, call Eric Scharnberg at 828 5696 for the names of steering committee members in your town.
If you have any recent photographs, news or stories that relate to the Cross-Vermont Trail in your area, please send them to the Cross-Vermont Trail Coordinator. The more material received, the better the newsletter can be.
Copied on January 11, 2000 by Kenyon F. Karl <railtrails@crosswinds.net> from the printed newsletter using a scanner and OCR software. Unintentional errors are likely!
