The Memphremagog Watershed Association was recently awarded nearly $143,000 from the Department of Environmental Conservation’s Water Quality Formula Grant program to complete stream and floodplain restoration work on Valley Brook in Morgan. Phase 1 of the restoration project will begin in August, and shortly thereafter a transformation will take place on the property off Valley Road. As part of a farm retirement and conservation effort, the former dairy operation will be decommissioned and converted into a VT Fish & Wildlife Department Streambank Management Area (SMA) for use by the public for fishing, hunting, trapping, and wildlife viewing. To preserve the agricultural character of the property and the integrity of the surrounding forests, multiple State agencies stepped up to acquire the property, provide perpetual conservation protection, and open the lands up for enjoyment by the public.

As with many century-old farms in Vermont, the streams and wetlands on this portion of Valley Brook were cleared, heavily grazed by cattle, and modified for drainage. This results in chronic water quality issues, habitat loss, and erosion that degrades not only the SMA itself but also Lake Seymour further downstream. To reverse these trends, local and State partners are implementing a stream and floodplain restoration project to improve water quality and restore fish and wildlife habitat.

Following deconstruction, recycling, and disposal of the barns and structures, crews will get to work removing nearly 4,000 cubic yards of fill that was placed in the floodplain when the barnyard was developed more than a half-century ago. They will also remove 9 problematic culverts, reconnect 500 feet of a tributary with its historic channel, plug and fill nearly 1,000 feet of drainage ditches, and decommission 1,200 feet of farm road. Restoration work will use nearly 250 cubic yards of slash, stumps, and logs to restore habitat complexity and natural stream processes. These actions will reduce erosion, increase flood storage, enhance fish passage and habitat, and ultimately improve water quality as the stream continues to heal itself. Phase 2 of the project, slated for 2024-2025, will include a VAST snowmobile crossing upgrade, extensive riparian buffer tree plantings, and ‘daylighting’ and restoration of a buried stream.

Restoration is being led and designed by the Memphremagog Watershed Association in partnership with the Fish & Wildlife Department, Department of Environmental Conservation, Agency of Agriculture Food & Markets, and The Nature Conservancy. Restoration work is funded by a grant from the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources Clean Water Initiative Program through a Formula Grant awarded to MWA via Vermont Housing & Conservation Board in their role as the Memphremagog Clean Water Service Provider. The Nature Conservancy is a co-holder of the conservation easement and contributed $14,500 toward construction of the project. The VFWD, VAAFM, and VHCB all contributed funding to the conservation acquisition and farm retirement efforts. The Orleans County Natural Resources Conservation District initiated conservation planning discussions with the former landowner which led to the possibility for restoration of the farm. This work was partially funded by the Great Lakes Fisheries Commission through VFWD capacity-building grants with MWA, NorthWoods Stewardship Center, and Orleans County NRCD. Please contact Patrick Hurley, MWA Project Manager with questions at phurley@mwavt.org.