Posted: 05/03/2011 12:10:25 AM EDT
Tuesday May 3, 2011
BENNINGTON --The New England Tropical Conservatory’s Greenberg Reserve trails leading to Jewett Brook were an easy walk Sunday, and the new Jewett Crossing Bridge will ensure that the full trail system remains accessible year-round.
The bridge was completed this past February and formally dedicated Sunday in a brief ceremony which included Bennington Select Board Chairman Joe Krawczyk, NETC President Mary Fuqua, NETC Education Center Director Bruce Evey, and representation from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ office in the form of staffer Sam Haskins.
"This bridge is like a dream come true," said Evey before a group of conservatory members, donors, and community leaders. "Part of this is about reliable pedestrian access, and part of it is about getting fish through." In a statement released earlier in the week, Evey called the bridge pleasing to the eye and complimentary to the 96-acre reserve.
Haskins said that Sanders appreciated the "collaborative effort that allowed for the creation of this bridge." Krawczyk said that it seemed like only yesterday that a group had gathered in the parking lot to open the reserve. "And some of us have fallen into this stream, trying to get that six inch trout," he said.
The NETC had been looking toward improving both pedestrian and fish and wildlife access to the reserve and its trails above the brook. In 2008, NETC began discussions with the Vermont State Agency of Natural Resources
and the National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) to determine the optimal method of restoring brook trout access to the downstream portion of Jewett Brook, which had been restricted by the culvert the bridge replaced.
Pedestrian access to the trails was also previously hampered during times of heavy rain or melting snow, as the old culvert flooded frequently and failed to provide reliable access to the full trail system.
NETC applied for and received a grant through the USDA’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) for the design and construction of a new bridge that would restore natural fish passage across the reserve. Matching funds came from the Davis Foundation, the Windham Foundation, and Plasan North America. NRCS surveyed the flood plain characteristics and in early September of last year delivered a design to NETC. Construction was completed in February of this year by Burgess Brothers of Bennington.
"The bridge is designed to last many years," said Evey. The bridge is constructed out of prefabricated interlocking concrete foundation blocks, steel beam supports, and pressure treated wooden decking and siderails. The bridge is accessible to both pedestrians and emergency vehicles. Sunday’s ceremony was followed by a brief reception at the NETC’s Education Center.
The Norman and Selma Greenberg Conservation Reserve is across U.S. Route 7 from the NETC’s Education Center, 1.3 miles south of the center of Bennington. The Bennington-based not-for-profit is dedicated to conservation education and the preservation of biodiversity.