Our Wetland Restoration Project
In 2017, The Nature Museum was generously gifted an adjacent parcel of land by Mary Hudson, which was named the Chapman Meadow in honor of her husband, Bill Chapman. Over the past few years, we’ve been delighted to watch as a small wetland, hidden by yearly haying, re-emerged at the bottom of the meadow. Wetlands are an important habitat in the Green Mountains and a great opportunity for education and conservation, so we’re grateful for having one so close to our workshops, summer camps, and other programs.
Given the importance of these ecosystems, The Nature Museum is excited to announce our wetland restoration project in the Chapman Meadow. We’ve been working hard behind the scenes for over a year to obtain an Agency of Natural Resources permit to enhance this wetland, which was recently granted.
Here’s what this will enable us to do:
Build a pond in the “buffer zone” to further diversify the habitat.
Construct low-impact trail infrastructure and re-route our walking trails to protect sensitive soils.
Introduce more native, water-loving plants, shrubs, and trees to help restore diversity lost to years of mowing and haying.
This ties into our other plans for the meadow, which include removing and controlling invasive species, adding interpretive signage, and expanding our Magic Forest Playscape for unstructured nature learning and play.
This project comes at a challenging time in Vermont’s history. Fueled by human-caused climate change, we have experienced extreme weather events with increasing frequency – such as the flooding caused by Tropical Storm Irene in 2011 and the recent floods this July. Wetlands play a critical role in slowing down and storing water, making their restoration an even higher priority.
Reducing the impact of flooding storms is, however, only one of many important roles wetlands play. The National Park Service estimates that nearly one-third of species on the threatened and endangered list rely on wetlands for their survival. Nutrients also accumulate in these wet habitats, which then are released over time – benefiting species downstream. Wetlands act as natural filters, and help purify water for the benefit of many living beings in the surrounding areas.
We deeply appreciate the support of our neighbors, friends, and visitors during our early summer Frog Appeal to raise funds for and awareness of our wetland restoration project. Thank you donors! And if you’re interested in supporting our education programs, habitat restoration efforts, and more, there is still plenty of time to contribute.
We can’t wait to tell you more about the wetland, the Chapman Meadow, and the Magic Forest Playscape, and hope you have the opportunity to come visit often as we begin this multi-year project. As always, get in touch with us at info@nature-museum.org if you have any questions or would like to volunteer your time.