Black River Action Team

Black River Action Team A grassroots organization providing education and resources to help discover, enjoy, and care for the Black River.

As a grassroots organization, Black River Action Team is responsible for:
- Annual RiverSweep: Began in 2000 with 4 volunteers, covering 100′ of river. Now dozens of volunteers covering miles of river across several towns
- Over 500 shopping carts, along with innumerable tires and other debris, removed from riverbeds
- Monthly water sampling at 42 sites and ‘Adopt a Swimming Hole’ program
- Enviro

nmental education and citizen science projects
- Recruited and manages over 300 volunteers
- Engaged students, adults, and families to address river issues and expand educational opportunities
- Discovered underground storage tank spewing fuel; worked with State to remove it and contaminated soil
- Worked with Town and Black River Produce to monitor effects of large diesel spill
- Stream monitoring in proposed development areas
- Ongoing force for bank stabilization and habitat improvement efforts post-Tropical Storm Irene
- Started program to capture and recycle waste fishing line at public recreation access point.

Goats are coming to Greven Field! Can you help us prep?Have you 'herd'? A gathering of goats from Slippery Slope Goats...
06/01/2026

Goats are coming to Greven Field! Can you help us prep?

Have you 'herd'? A gathering of goats from Slippery Slope Goats will be grazing the perimeter of the park as part of a long-term plan to manage invasive plants in this 8-acre parcel. While grazing, the goats will be penned in using a GPS-enabled virtual fence and continuously monitored for the week, as well as visited at least daily in person by the herd owner. https://www.slipperyslopegoats.com

We could use several 'hands on deck' between 1-4pm at Greven (just off Route 103 in Proctorsville, 'behind' Greven Rd) to help prepare the site for the goats arrival.

* scout the area for trash/tires - there will be a dumpster on site

* w**d whack/hand-clear a narrow path around the perimeter to allow for a physical fence to barricade the goats from the back property line of Greven Rd homes

Greven Field has historically been an important and treasured community space, and will continue as a location for low-impact public recreation; the future of the parcel must also include allowing for stormwater and floodwater to enter and spread out naturally.

Part of the long-term plan is to manage invasive plants by hand (no herbicide will be used here), replant a portion of the currently open space with native vegetation (trees, shrubs, perennials and ground cover), install stakes of shrub willow and red twig dogwood to the river banks, and maintain a walking path around the perimeter (set back 50' from the water). Part of the interior space (formerly the field where the Green Monster scoreboard was) will be maintained so it's available for public activities that leave no trace.

Sign up to help out on June 5th by sending an email to [email protected]; please bring your own work gloves, dress for the weather, and wear or bring sun protection and insect/tick spray.

As lawn and yard maintenance gets underway, remember that storm drains are easily clogged by leaves, branches, grass, et...
05/31/2026

As lawn and yard maintenance gets underway, remember that storm drains are easily clogged by leaves, branches, grass, etc.! Even when not clogged, drains usually lead to streams and other waterways - the flowing water carries with it fertilizer, pet waste, cut grass, pesticides, excess soil, car 'gunk' from roads and driveways.

Please consider "adopting" a drain near you, to make sure it stays clear of blockage; and think about what you put on your yard and lawn that will end up in a stream!

New concept I'm trying out - volunteer TREES and SHRUBS!As you get going in your yard and garden this spring, perhaps yo...
05/31/2026

New concept I'm trying out - volunteer TREES and SHRUBS!

As you get going in your yard and garden this spring, perhaps you're finding small seedlings of some tree or shrub that you know you didn't plant...a dogwood, a sugar maple, an oak, even a conifer.

So long as they are native species, I'm hoping that folks will consider the following:

* Use a reliable resource to identify the seedling (such as Seek, iNaturalist, PictureThis, or this one, from UVM: https://www.uvm.edu/femc/attachments/project/999/seedling_guide-compressed_1.pdf)

* Send me a photo of the seedling and what you think it is

* Use brightly-colored flagging to mark the name of the tree or shrub and avoid cutting or mowing it

* In the fall, after leaves have dropped, we can work together on carefully digging it up, removing the soil, and bagging it with some wet sawdust or wet shredded newspaper (I'm avoiding transporting soil because of the presence of jumping worms in Windsor County - I don't want to give them a free ride!)

* I'll come get your seedling(s) or you can drop it off if you're near my home in Springfield

I will either transplant it directly to a new home on a floodplain or streambank, or pot it up to nurse it over the winter before planting in a final destination!

As we ramp up into swimming weather (soon, I hope!), here are some very simple and useful tips for EVERYONE. While grou...
05/31/2026

As we ramp up into swimming weather (soon, I hope!), here are some very simple and useful tips for EVERYONE. While groups like ours monitor the waterways for conditions that might impact a swimmer's *health,* there is more to WATER SAFETY than bacteria counts. Use all your senses to make good decisions this summer. :-)

As we ramp up into swimming weather (soon, I hope!), here are some very simple and useful tips for EVERYONE.
05/31/2026

As we ramp up into swimming weather (soon, I hope!), here are some very simple and useful tips for EVERYONE.

05/31/2026

Join bat advocate and licensed rehabilitator Barry Genzlinger for an engaging and eye-opening online presentation, Bats, Bugs, Fungus: What’s the Connection? Discover the fascinating world of bats, including their remarkable abilities and the vital role they play in our ecosystem.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89450151522?pwd=1Gzrx76buO3ChZRchQshhRYpxd4YMK.1

Meeting ID: 894 5015 1522
Passcode: 136847

Many thanks to the 20 volunteers who showed up in the rain this morning, at the Fletcher Farm Foundation field next to t...
05/30/2026

Many thanks to the 20 volunteers who showed up in the rain this morning, at the Fletcher Farm Foundation field next to the rugby pitch on Route 103, and worked to plant EVERYTHING I brought with me: 100 silver maple trees and roughly 100 red oak saplings! We even managed to pop out a dozen or more wild chervil plants, replacing them with red oaks.

I'm so thrilled with the effort and commitment that everyone put out - great job!

For 26 years, the Black River Action Team has grown - from a one-time cleanup event to a year-round organization full of...
05/30/2026

For 26 years, the Black River Action Team has grown - from a one-time cleanup event to a year-round organization full of activities, projects, programs, and events that cover everything "river"...water quality, trash, aquatic insects, planting of native vegetation, floodplains and stormwater, you name it.

With some grant funding to cover program and administrative costs, B.R.A.T. continues to thrive because of VOLUNTEERS and a lot of private support from the communities we serve.

Now is your opportunity get your company or organization listed on the back of our annual tee shirts!

The colors have been selected, shirts have arrived, and Travis at Stay Classy Printing in Chester stands ready to begin printing as soon as I have the list finalized.

Deadline is AUGUST 7th to either mail your donation (address below) or to confirm with me that it will be on its way. :-)

Please make a check out to our fiscal sponsor (for tax-deductible purposes):

Tiny Seed Project
POB 112
E Hardwick VT 05836

Please note "B.R.A.T." in the memo section so they know it's for us. :-) Thank you so much!

Learn more about Tiny Seed here: https://tinyseedproject.org

Address

101 Perley Gordon Road
Springfield, VT
05156

Telephone

+18025910101

Website

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