Connecticut River Conservancy (CRC) has announced that Redstart, a Corinth, VT, based company is this year’s Restoration Partner of the Year.
The Restoration Partner of the Year award is a celebration of collaboration for positive ecological impact within the Connecticut River watershed. River restoration projects include buffer plantings to reduce erosion, strategic wood additions to increase aquatic biomass, and floodplain forests to improve natural river functions and store carbon. All projects ultimately help to improve water quality, expand fish passage and habitat for aquatic organisms, and support flood resiliency.
"Redstart and their knowledgeable staff have been fantastic partners on many fronts from project development to landowner outreach to project implementation” said Ron Rhodes, Director of Programs at Connecticut River Conservancy. “We always try to work with good, local companies so these restoration dollars have both a positive environmental and economic impact in our local communities.”
Founded in 1992 by Virginia Barlow, Redstart combines in-depth knowledge of natural systems and stewardship practices with decades of field experience to provide responsible management of natural resources in Vermont’s forests, rivers, farms, and fields. To date, CRC and Redstart have restored 17 miles of river habitat in 50 streams with 13 different landowners.
This year’s restoration projects included planting a riparian buffer at Billings Farm in Woodstock, VT, several strategic wood addition projects on private lands in the Waits and Ompompanoosuc rivers, as well as planning and mapping work done for future projects.
CRC and Redstart are working with the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to develop guidelines for installing beaver dam analogs to mimic the natural processes beavers employ to maintain healthy streams, establish temporary pools of water for fish and wildlife habitat, and catch sediment.
“Redstart is excited to work with CRC to explore innovative techniques to restore natural ecosystem functions" said Ben Machin of Redstart. “We have always found CRC to be an ideal partner with a positive vision, great enthusiasm, and a tremendous ability to make good things happen.”
Healthy riverbanks, floodplains, and forests throughout the Connecticut River watershed are essential to supporting clean water and thriving habitats in our rivers. That’s why CRC and partners regularly plant native trees and shrubs along riparian zones of the main stem river and tributaries, restore floodplain forests and wetlands to their natural conditions, and conduct related projects to filter pollution, slow fast-moving waters, and provide a buffer zone between our streams and other land uses. CRC began recognizing a Restoration Partner of the Year in 2022 with the Northwoods Stewardship Center, and again in 2023 with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. These awards come with a small gift such as a framed certificate, a joint project walk-through and gathering of different staff, and a friendly group lunch, which this year was at Colatina Exit in Bradford VT.
Meaningful partnerships such as these provide the know-how, labor, and technical resources to execute large-scale restoration projects. CRC and Redstart look forward to continuing to build strong networks for both environmental and community impact in the years to come.
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