2008 Annual Meeting
October 20, 2008
The White River Partnership held its 2008 Annual Meeting at the White River Golf Club in Rochester on October 18 to celebrate our 12th year of hard work to improve the long-term health of the White River and its watershed. At a Golf Charity Event preceding the meeting, teams of 4 golfers came from across the watershed to support the Partnership, to have fun, and to vie for a bevy of bragging rights, including longest drive, closest to the pin, longest putt, and lowest team score. Local businesses contributing to the event included the White River Golf Club, Liberty Hill Farm, Margaret McKinley Counseling, Hurricane Flats Farm, Peavine Restaurant, Barnard Inn Restaurant, 5 Olde Tavern, Golf & Ski Warehouse, and Hanover Outdoors.
At the meeting, attendees enjoyed refreshments, a team trivia game, and the presentation of a volunteer award given in memory of Sami Izzo. Ron Rhodes, a local fly fishing guide serving as the Partnership’s Board President, received the 2008 Sami Izzo Award in recognition of his significant contributions to the Partnership as a Board member, advocate, and active volunteer for the past eight years. According to Chris Moore, President of the White River chapter of Trout Unlimited, with which Ron is also active, “The work of Trout Unlimited and the White River Partnership is never ending. It requires dedication of limited personal resources, determination to succeed, and devotion to a cause that is bigger than all of us and that will benefit a generation that may never meet us in person. But that’s the kind of man that Ron Rhodes is: dedicated, determined, and devoted. He was and is President, but more importantly, he is present. Ron works tirelessly to achieve the mission of TU and the Partnership – with all kinds of people, children, and adults alike – with patience, kindness, thoughtfulness, and knowledge.” Thank you, Ron, and congratulations!
A special thank you to all of our 2008 volunteers – the Partnership could not accomplish much of our important work without you! We look forward to working with all of you again in 2009!
News
Posted: January 13, 2009 by wrp_admin
WRP wins award
WRP wins award
January 13, 2009
In December 2008, the WRP received an honor award from the Eastern Region of the US Forest Service. Along with the Battenkill Watershed Alliance and the Green Mountain National Forest, the WRP was recognized at a ceremony in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for a dozen years of work Protecting Ecosystems Across Boundaries.
According to Steve Roy, a fisheries biologist with the Green Mountain National Forest who nominated the WRP for the honor award, the WRP “is focusing tremendous energy and resources on exemplary stewardship of the watershed via an impressive array of public outreach and awareness, landscape assessments, biological monitoring, riparian forest and stream habitat restoration, water quality and aquatic organism passage improvements, and invasive species management, while retaining the traditions of a working landscape.”
This award was a spectacular end to a banner year for the WRP. 2008 highlights include: – opening over 5 miles of Broad Brook to aquatic life at all water levels, – permanently conserving 20 acres of river corridor along Ayers Brook, – collecting 450 water quality samples to identify potential threats to public health, – removing 1,400 pounds of trash to improve water quality and recreation, – planting 3,200 trees along the river to improve habitat and to reduce erosion, and – coordinating $26,500 in volunteer opportunities, or the equivalent of a 3/4 time employee.
We hope you will join us in 2009 as we work together to improve the long-term health of the White River and its watershed!
Posted: October 20, 2008 by wrp_admin
2008 Annual Meeting
2008 Annual Meeting
October 20, 2008
The White River Partnership held its 2008 Annual Meeting at the White River Golf Club in Rochester on October 18 to celebrate our 12th year of hard work to improve the long-term health of the White River and its watershed. At a Golf Charity Event preceding the meeting, teams of 4 golfers came from across the watershed to support the Partnership, to have fun, and to vie for a bevy of bragging rights, including longest drive, closest to the pin, longest putt, and lowest team score. Local businesses contributing to the event included the White River Golf Club, Liberty Hill Farm, Margaret McKinley Counseling, Hurricane Flats Farm, Peavine Restaurant, Barnard Inn Restaurant, 5 Olde Tavern, Golf & Ski Warehouse, and Hanover Outdoors.
At the meeting, attendees enjoyed refreshments, a team trivia game, and the presentation of a volunteer award given in memory of Sami Izzo. Ron Rhodes, a local fly fishing guide serving as the Partnership’s Board President, received the 2008 Sami Izzo Award in recognition of his significant contributions to the Partnership as a Board member, advocate, and active volunteer for the past eight years. According to Chris Moore, President of the White River chapter of Trout Unlimited, with which Ron is also active, “The work of Trout Unlimited and the White River Partnership is never ending. It requires dedication of limited personal resources, determination to succeed, and devotion to a cause that is bigger than all of us and that will benefit a generation that may never meet us in person. But that’s the kind of man that Ron Rhodes is: dedicated, determined, and devoted. He was and is President, but more importantly, he is present. Ron works tirelessly to achieve the mission of TU and the Partnership – with all kinds of people, children, and adults alike – with patience, kindness, thoughtfulness, and knowledge.” Thank you, Ron, and congratulations!
A special thank you to all of our 2008 volunteers – the Partnership could not accomplish much of our important work without you! We look forward to working with all of you again in 2009!
Posted: September 28, 2008 by wrp_admin
Successful River Cleanups
Successful River Cleanups
September 28, 2008
WRP volunteers pulled nearly 1,500 pounds of trash out of the White River at 2 cleanups in September.
South Royalton cleanup
As part of the VLS Alumni Weekend festivities, the September 13 river cleanup gave first-year VLS students and returning alumni an opportunity to give back to the South Royalton community. Attendees cleaned up the river access points in South Royalton, collecting over 400 pounds of trash in 2 hours. “River booty” highlights included 2 lawn chairs, a rubber ducky, an entire rear axle, a tea kettle, and countless rusted car parts. A special thanks to VLS for co-hosting this event and providing refreshments, and to the Town of Royalton for providing free trash disposal.
Sharon cleanup
25 community members braved the elements on September 27 to attend the WRP’s river cleanup in Sharon. Starting at AHT Plumbing & Heating on Route 14, attendees signed-in, picked-up bags and gloves, and headed out to cleanup the river access sites in Sharon.
While most folks cleaned up from the shore, a couple of hardy souls paddled from South Royalton to Sharon, picking up trash and debris along the way. The forecast rain held off, allowing folks to collect 1,000 pounds of trash. Sharon Academy students and others helped WRP Board members sort recycling from the debris; the remaining trash was piled in a truck provided by the Town of Sharon. Trash tally highlights included a bicycle, 2 tv monitors, an electronic typewriter, a traffic cone, a thousand-square-feet of carpet, and much, much more.
A special thanks to AHT Plumbing & Heating for providing event space, to the Town of Sharon conservation commission, selectboard, and road crew for proposing the cleanup locations and coordinating the trash disposal.
THANK YOU to everyone who participated in our 2008 river cleanup events to improve the health – and cleanliness – of the White River! For more information about getting your feet wet with the WRP, check out our volunteer events page.