Youth Conservation Corps trail crew tackles Huntington Gorge trails
September 21, 2023 | By Waterbury Roundabout
Following the July floods, volunteers with the Vermont River Conservancy and Vermont Youth Conservation Corps went to work to improve eroded trails and safety signs at Huntington Gorge in Richmond.
Youth Conservation Corps members work along the Huntington River. Courtesy photo
In mid-August, the Vermont River Conservancy hosted a crew of trail workers from the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps at the gorge in Richmond, one of the state’s most visited and most dangerous swimming holes. With the support of a Clean Water Grant from the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, the team worked to reduce erosion and maintain trails.
The crew installed stone steps above the gorge, and consolidated multiple “social trails” into single official trails to reduce erosion and improve wayfinding. Below the gorge on the trail that leads through the mossy forest to a rocky beach, the crew installed waterbars, maintained stone steps, and built three sections of boardwalk to cross a bubbling seep.
Trail crew members work on building rock steps. Courtesy photo
Ongoing heavy rains and resulting high water challenged the team, but leaders worked to keep the crew positive and on task.
Students also helped install warning signs with guidance from the Richmond Land Trust, which owns and manages Huntington Gorge. The well-known swimming hole’s deep pools and rocky shores attract thousands of visitors each year. It’s also one of the most dangerous river access sites in Vermont. At least two dozen people have died in the gorge, the most recently this July just days after floods ravaged Central Vermont. It’s also just a short drive from Bolton Potholes, which also claimed the life of a young man in July.
A boardwalk helps conserve a wet part of the trail. Courtesy photo
In both locations, upstream rain can quickly result in swift currents, and fast, air-filled water that can make it impossible to float, overwhelming even the strongest swimmers. While installing safety signs, corps members themselves learned about these types of safety concerns, developing new understanding that can help keep them safe at swimming holes across the region.
This was the last project of the season for this five-person group of teens ages 15-17. Most were local residents with one exception of a member who came from Idaho to spend the summer with his grandparents in Vermont to learn hands-on trail-building skills and teamwork.
The Vermont River Conservancy also would like to let the public know about its recently compiled interactive online map with detailed information about swimming holes in Vermont. The map of river access sites includes places to swim, paddle, fish, and walk statewide with details on safety and popularity to help people find less-crowded, safe places for summer water recreation. Find that online at vermontriverconservancy.org/find-your-river
The Vermont River Conservancy is a statewide nonprofit that works to protect land along rivers including conserving floodplains, protecting headwater forests and removing dams. The Vermont Youth Conservation Corps is a nonprofit that gets young people involved in outdoor projects that benefit Vermont communities and land with goals of sustainable agriculture and recreation, food access, water quality and forest health. In addition to protecting more than 800 acres in Richmond and Bolton, the Richmond Land Trust has been responsible for the reconstruction of the historic West Monitor Barn which is home to the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps.