Join conservation efforts, find out about our programs, meet new people, and make an impact on your nearby rivers and trout populations. Below you will find a list of our ongoing projects in support of our Strategic Plan. You can also visit our Events Page, or reach out to us at tuswvt@gmail.com to find out what we have planned in the near future.

Battenkill Home Rivers Initiative: 2020-2024 

One of the largest project in our area is the Battenkill Home Rivers Initiative (HRI). The HRI was started by TU national back in 2020 and is a large-scale project that employs an ecosystem-based approach to prioritize reconnection, restoration and protection throughout the watershed. Over the past 4 years, there has been no shortage of volunteer and research opportunities as we work to connect the stream to its floodplain, stabilize eroding banks, re-vegetate riparian buffers, and establish appropriate channel form/dimensions so the system can properly transport water and sediment.

Click here to read a fantastic blog post by Trout Unlimited New York Project Coordinator, Jacob Fetterman.

Click here to take a look at Jacob’s informative 2019 Battenkill Watershed Assessment

Walloomsac River Study: 2024 & 2025

SWVT Trout Unlimited is undertaking a base line study in 2024 of the Walloomsac River by monitoring water quality and temperatures as well identifying potential sources of habitat improvement through a critical 7 mile stretch of the river.  The study should result in specific recommendations for implementation in 2025 and beyond.  

Rutland Area Water Quality and Habitat Assessment: 2024 & 2025

The  Dunklee Dam on Tenney Brook in the City of Rutland was removed about 2 years ago. The Dam was over 200 years old and was at risk of failure. TU helped with funding and the planting of trees at the site of the former dam. With the removal of Dunklee Dam, we are now working with Vermont Fish and Wildlife, the City of Rutland and private citizens to determine if three other obstructions on Tenney Brook can be removed to provide fish with access to cooler waters upstream. 

We are also working with Fish and Wildlife to assess the quality of the habitat upstream of the identified obstructions. We hope to complete the assessment this summer (2024). If the assessment is favorable we aim to procure funding and undertake the removal of the remaining impediments next summer.