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The Green Mountains
The Green Mountains provide Vermont with a variety climates and
environments as a result of a broad change in altitude and subsequent
plant and animal communities associated with them (Meeks 1986,
p. 235). The steep, glaciated landscape also contains environments
sensitive to human impact. Steep slopes are prone to erosion
when disturbed, and shallow, clay soils inhibit residential development
because of their inability to sustain septic tanks and leachfields.
The Green Mountains harbor valuable habitats that help maintain
the state's biodiversity such as the northern hardwoods, the
coniferous forests and the rare alpine tundra found on the peaks
of Mount Mansfield and Camels Hump (Johnson 1993, p. 55). The
ecological benefits of the Green Mountains also play an important
role in the state's economy. Hemlock groves that grow in the
rich, shallow humus along the ridges provide valuable timber
and the mineral rich, clay soils support broad stands of sap-laden
sugar maples.
The Green Mountain National Forest is the largest single holding
of protected land in the state. This federal holding contains
366,721 acres or 6% of the state's total land. It is also 38%
of the total protected land in Vermont (Motyka 1998, p. 20).
State owned conserved lands include 37 state forests, 55 state
parks and 84 wildlife management areas totaling 335,785 acres.
Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain forms a large portion of Vermont's western border
with New York. Lake Champlain also borders Canada. The foremost
features of the lake are its north-south configuration and depths
up to 400 feet. In terms of contribution to the state's ecological
framework, Lake Champlain is one of the Vermont's most valuable
resources. Once an inland sea, Lake Champlain supports a wide
range of rare species and unique environments. In the mountainous
region of New England, flat and expansive marshlands are particularly
unique and found chiefly along the shores of Lake Champlain (Johnson,
1993, p. 135). In Addition to its ecological value to local communities,
Lake Champlain also serves as a major corridor for many migratory
birds. This combination of factors makes the lake especially
prone to disturbances, both natural and cultural. Invasive species
have had serious impacts on local communities, but human disturbances
have been even more severe. This north-south corridor has also
proven useful for human transport, and as a result development
has spread out along the lake's shores.
The Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the third major feature in Vermont's
ecological landscape and, as stated previously, flows north to
south. The Connecticut River also forms an important ecological
corridor as well as the state's eastern boundary New Hampshire.
The Connecticut River reaches from the Canadian border to Long
Island Sound and drains more land in New England than any other
water feature in the region. The main stem of the river represents
an intricate web of Vermont's hydrology and, in many ways, the
state's ecological stability. The river offers insight into both
the quality of the region's water and the diversity of its ecology.
The Northeast Kingdom
The Northeast Kingdom is a geographically independent region
of the state that includes the three northeastern most counties:
Essex, Orleans, and Caledonia. The Northeast Kingdom is an important
element to Vermont's ecological greenway network due to both
large expanses of undeveloped land and a more severe climate
than the rest of the state. This combination has allowed unique
species to flourish. This region's landform would also suggest
the potential to establish ecological greenway connections to
the main spine of the Green Mountains in the west.
The Winooski River Valley
The Winooski River is an excellent example of a landscape feature
of statewide significance that offers all the elements of a Greenway.
The Winooski River directly links two of Vermont's three primary
greenway features: the spine of the Green Mountains and the Shores
of Lake Champlain. It also serves as a major link to a third
greenway feature, the Connecticut River. The Winooski cuts a
valley across the Green Mountains that intersects the continuity
of the string of protected ridgelines and also serves as the
state's most significant east-west link. This valuable river
corridor is a greenway connection that merges all three types
of greenways: ecological, recreational and cultural.
Because the river provides a pronounced east-west link, it
has also flourished as one of Vermont's dominant corridors of
human population. In addition to connecting Lake Champlain with
the Green Mountains, the Winooski River also connects the state's
largest city, Burlington with the state's capital, Montpelier.
Between these two centers are a zone of rich agricultural soils
and a spreading pattern of suburbanization. The consequence of
this combination is an important threatened ecological system.
East-West Connections
In the final analysis of Vermont's ecological corridors, it is
evident that there is a well-developed framework for nature protection
and conservation. One of the deficiencies in the network, however,
is the connection from the Connecticut River and Lake Champlain
to the Green Mountains. With the appropriate stewardship, riparian
corridors could provide the necessary ecological connections.
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