Museum closed Sept 14-15 for Road Culvert Replacement

The Museum will be closed to visitors on Monday and Tuesday, September 14-15, while the Town replaces a culvert on Sherman Hollow Road.

This is the next step in our Bridges to Birds project!  We will begin the stream bank restoration and entrance path/bridge when the culvert is in place.

We can be reached by phone (802 434-2167) or email museum@birdsofvermont.org.

The Board Meeting will still take place on Tuesday evening.

We are very excited about this!

Spray paint markings to guide the road crew when they begin to replace the culvert.
Spray paint markings to guide the road crew when they begin to replace the culvert.

 

Bridges to Birds: where we’ve been

How it All Began in July 2013: Flash flooding at the Museum
Plus photos.
Last Year’s Update: Bridges to Birds: Connecting to People
And the Treehouse phase: A New Point of View (from our Treehouse)
A booklet about it: Bridges to Birds (1Mb PDF)
And the collected posts (tagged “Bridges to Birds”)

Donate to help! We happily accept donations online through JustGive, NetworkForGood, and PayPal. You can also call (802) 434-2167 with your credit card info, or send a check in any amount at any time to

Birds of Vermont Museum
900 Sherman Hollow Road
Huntington, Vermont 05462

 

 

The Four Phases of Bridges to Birds

B2B-Banner

Bridges to Birds incorporates disaster recovery, resilience, and prior long-term plans to make outdoor experiences at the Museum accessible to all visitors, including people with limited abilities and families with small children. This four-phase project also expands conservation and educational opportunities and increases the number of locations available for quiet appreciation and contemplation of the natural world.

Connecting to People:
Bridge and Walkway

$104,000
(still need $56,500)

This phase means

* New wildlife observation areas
* Fully ADA-compliant access from parking to Museum
* Protected riparian areas and stream bank stabilization
* Publicly visible donor acknowledgments
* Improved bird habitat
* Resistance to future flooding and precipitation events

We are working with the State of Vermont, the Town of Huntington, and civil, structural, and hydrological engineers to design and build a bridge and walkway after installation of a larger culvert under the road. Interpretive signs, plantings, and welcome information will follow.

Connecting to Nature:
Interpretative Trails

$17,000
(still need $9,000)

This phase provides

* Outdoor exploration
* Citizen scientist access
* Routes for monitoring and birding walks
* Integration with and protection of woodland, meadow, and near-pond habitats
* Peaceful retreats
* Well-maintained trails

Volunteers, staff, and interns repair trails, footbridges, and handrails. We continue to work routing water away from trails, and providing sturdy footing where needed. New maps, signage, and guide materials will be created.

Connecting to New Perspectives:
The Treehouse

$30,000
(still need $2,500)

This phase showcases

* An accessible (ADA-compliant) treehouse, reached by a gravel ramp
* Opportunites to observe birds in the forest canopy
* An outdoor classroom /exhibit space
* New nature-focused programs and activities

The treehouse is already open! We completed the construction thanks to a generous partnership with Center for Technology Essex, Evergreen Roofing, and dozens of volunteers. A grant from the Vermont Community Foundation helped with treehouse-specific programming. The last donations will fund educational signage and seating.

Connecting to Conservation:
Bird-friendly Gardens

$6,000
(still need $2,000)

This phase includes
* Demonstration gardens
* Native plants
* Quiet contemplation spaces
* Habitat and foraging diversity for native birds
* Inspiring and encouraging Vermont gardeners and would-be gardeners

The Gardens phase integrates previous work by staff, interns, and gardeners on local, bird-friendly plantings, garden layout, and native species. Garden beds, paths, booklets, informative signs, and short education tours all extend the experience.

 

Bridges to Birds: where we’ve been

How it All Began in July 2013: Flash flooding at the Museum
Plus photos.
Last Year’s Update: Bridges to Birds: Connecting to People
More about the Treehouse: A New Point of View (from our Treehouse)
A booklet about it: Bridges to Birds (1Mb PDF)
And the collected posts (tagged “Bridges to Birds”)

Donate to help! We happily accept donations online through JustGive, NetworkForGood, and PayPal. You can also call (802) 434-2167 with your credit card info, or send a check in any amount at any time to

Birds of Vermont Museum
900 Sherman Hollow Road
Huntington, Vermont 05462

Bridges to Birds: Connecting to People

A slightly different version of this post appeared first in our late summer 2014 issue of Chip Notes.

Bridges to Birds 5-step bannerAs you may recall, we “took advantage” of the devastating flood, integrated that with several pre-existing hopes and plans, and coordinated an initiative we call Bridges to Birds. This four-fold project will make (and already is making) the Museum more accessible to all, indoors and out, enabling better and more bird conservation, environmental education, and appreciation of Vermont’s natural communities.

One phase of the Bridges to Birds Project, Connecting to New Perspectives (the Treehouse), was completed this summer, and you can read more about it elsewhere in the blog.

Two other phases, Connecting to Nature (with Interpretative Trails) and Connecting to Conservation (with Bird-friendly Gardens) are actively underway, thanks primarily to several dedicated volunteers and interns.

Now we focus our attention on another phase: Connecting to People (the reconstruction of our parking-to-entrance access). This one is perhaps the largest endeavor, and you’ve probably seen and read about the planning, engineering, and design aspects already in previous issues of Chip Notes.

Early in August we heard the great news that in the next few weeks the town of Huntington will replace the culvert that funnels the water from the creek above the Museum, under Sherman Hollow Road, and down to “Bob’s Bridge.” This is an essential prerequisite to our own construction process. Once this culvert and Sherman Hollow Road have been repaired, the Museum can start the physical repairs to create a safe passage for visitors from the parking lot to the Museum doors.

While waiting for this construction to start, we all have been learning and researching ADA laws, erosion prevention techniques, effective interpretation methods, and the ways entrances can shape and enhance Museum-going experiences. We have also been consulting with designers and engineers, writing grants, and working on other fundraising to bring this phase into reality.

So Far, with Gratitude

We are grateful for the support already given for work to date:

  • FEMA helped fund some of the emergency work last year: clearing downed trees and debris; removing electric lines ($800)
  • Vermont Community Foundation’s Special and Urgent Needs grant helped support initial personnel time (staff and consultant) as we began the planning and design of both temporary and permanent measures to bring people safely to the Museum, and storm water through the property ($5000).
  • Museum members and community donors help pay for some of the additional staff time as we continue to plan, apply for new grants, and develop related presentations and literature. Some of these donations will go directly to the initial construction costs ($7000).

We also recently received a grant from the Vermont Better Back Roads program to address stormwater runoff, preventing damage in the future. If you have seen the photos of the parking lot, or stopped in recently, you know from your own experience how essential this is to protect the riparian habitats along the tributary creek and Sherman Hollow Brook.

The Next Steps

We are about to embark on a fundraising campaign for the bulk of entrance-access construction. These costs are great. There will be costs for detailed plans and oversight from structural and civil engineers, the site work, bank stabilization, stream bed restoration, the ADA-compliant bridge and walkway construction, materials, and interpretation. One member has already promised to match all donations!

As space here is limited, look for another mailing with more information about the entire project. It will include detailed goals for each phase, costs, donation information, and a generous list of thank you gifts, from watercolor prints by Libby Davidson, to a very special one donated by Denver Holt, renowned Snowy Owl biologist.

Thank you to all who have donated so far! We will continue to post pictures as progress is made. This is a very exciting time as we not only repair what was damaged but create a fully welcoming space that connects people to the essential and exciting world of birds.

You can help

Make a financial donation

We happily accept donations online through JustGive, NetworkForGood, and PayPal. Or use the phone or address below.

Membership

Renew yours, become a new member, or give a gift membership to a bird-loving friend or family member. Use our online membership form (PDF).

Volunteer with us

Opportunities abound! Our Volunteer page has more info.

Bird Conservation Choices

Use your everyday choices, from the coffee you choose to the laws you enact, to create a world better for birds.

Share about us online

Tell people about us with travel reviews, in your blogs, and in your photos!


Bookmark and Share

You can also call (802) 434-2167 with your credit card info, or send a check in any amount at any time to

Birds of Vermont Museum
900 Sherman Hollow Road
Huntington, Vermont 05462

THANK YOU

Our Annual Appeal for 2013

Happy New Year
from the Birds of Vermont Museum

Thank you for all your help!

There’s still time to make a tax-deductible donation to the Museum for 2013!
Please consider sending a contribution during our year-end appeal
—whether $1 or $5000— we happily accept donations online through JustGive, NetworkForGood, and PayPal. You can also call (802) 434-2167 with your credit card info, or send a check in any amount at any time to

Donate to the Birds of Vermont Museum! Your gift is tax-deductible.
Birds of Vermont Museum
900 Sherman Hollow Road
Huntington, Vermont 05462
Donate to the Birds of Vermont Museum with Network for Good! Your gift is tax-deductible.

We welcome your support in any and every form: Continue reading “Our Annual Appeal for 2013”