Let’s Build
We believe everyone should have access to nature and birding. For the museum, that means building a new bridge and boardwalk to reach across Sherman Hollow Brook. And we need you to make it happen!
A Bridge …but Better
We’re going to raise an accessible, inclusive, expansive and climate-resilient bridge…and more! We’re planning:
- the Bridge
- a Boardwalk
- an Accessible Trail
- 60 acres re-opened to the public for snow shoeing, hiking, trail running, education, bird watching, exploring….
Because
During the summer of 2024, the bridge that crosses Sherman Hollow Brook, was nearly washed out. Damage limited access to the Gale’s Retreat and cut off the 60 acres of public trails — a loss for hikers, trail runners, and bird watchers, kids, and more.
We need a new bridge—one that will last.
At the museum, we are constantly trying to improve the experience of all visitors, and part of this is making the museum and its amenities more accessible to those of all abilities. That is why our new bridge will not only be flood-resistant but also ADA-certified. Everyone should have access to nature and birding.
Contribute
Your support is vital. There are four ways you can help us reach our goals: direct donations, partnering, individually, and sharing. Your help is always welcome.
You can Help!
We need your help to get to the other side! We have a plan to re-cross Sherman Hollow Brook, and need your help to help fund the construction.
Everything helps, from $5 once, $50 monthly, to $5000 annually.
Donate
This is the easiest way to support our bridge! We happily accept donations online, in the mail, and in person. Cash, checks, credit cards, and e-transfers are all easier every day.
You can donate right now with this QR code, (it goes to Paypal):
If you prefer, call the museum (802) 434-2167 with your credit or debit card to make your donation. Or stop in for a card, check, or cash donation.
We even happily accepts checks sent to
Birds of Vermont Museum
900 Sherman Hollow Road
Huntington, Vermont 05462
Partner
Schools and businesses, community groups, and other nonprofits all can work with us to bring this structure to reality and fulfill their own missions, too. The Center for Technology Essex worked with us to provide a hands-on, practical learning experience for their students and helped create the Treehouse. Do you need a space to meet or to give a talk? Have Scouts who need a project? Science teaching? Future gardeners? Williston Elementary worked with us to learn about birds and to create an exhibit. Imagine your needs and ours being met, together. Call, email, or set up a meeting.
Volunteer and Intern
Whether you have a few hours or a day every week, we welcome you as a volunteer, indoors and out. We train (if you need it). Need practical work experience or academic requirements? Consider an internship.
From day-to-day tasks to significant projects, our volunteers and interns have done it all. You can too.
Share
Love birds? Woodcarving? Art? Visit us, bring a friend, tell a neighbor. Speak of our need or your love for the Museum. Write about us for your blog or newspaper. Call a relative or email a colleague. Join a class or a scheduled bird walk, spend a morning or a weekend. Share the word… and the place.
Work So Far
Right after the flood, we began working with Timber and Stone LLC and DeWolfe engineers to design the structures. The new route includes a board walk, places to pause and bird, and views above the stream. The new bridge will be above the 100-year flood mark and allow us to reopen the trails for everyone. By rerouting access, we make the access more gradual, more accessible, and minimize erosion into the brook.
More
Nearing forty-four years as a small non-profit institution tucked within a 100-acre mixed-habitat sanctuary, the museum building and landscape have aged and met weather challenges with remarkable resilience. However, bridges over troubled, storm-powered flood events have borne the brunt of damaging forces. The museum’s Sherman Hollow Brook bridge allows passage to a sixty-acre tract of trails through coniferous and deciduous forest land as well as fruiting shrubs and ground level ephemerals, ferns, vines, and fungi. The bridge which Bob Spear and Doug Henshaw built across the span in the late 1980s to accommodate foot travel will be repurposed on the property.
Flood
Design
First Appeal
A new bridge would be good, but it isn’t enough. At the museum, we are constantly trying to improve the experience of all visitors, and part of this is making the museum and its amenities more accessible to those of all abilities. That is why our new bridge will not only be flood-resistant but also ADA-certified. Everyone should have access to nature and birding.