We recognize the tremendous benefits that Burlington, the Lake Champlain region and the planet receive from the damaged but living land and water of the Barge Canal. These include wildlife habitat, carbon sequestration, stormwater management, flood control, transformation and containment of toxins and soil stabilization. In the spirit of gratitude for these benefits and for the economic prosperity that the Barge Canal has supported for centuries, we seek to be advocates for the land and water as well as allies for the current inhabitants (animals, plants, fungi).
Since the late 1960s, natural processes have been stabilizing the land. Nature has begun to slowly transform, neutralize, and contain the industrial pollutants.
To support this continuing process, we aim to
Bring all of the land and water at the Barge Canal, exclusive of 453 Pine Street, into conservation zoning.
Protect the conserved area as a wild space.
Support community involvement in working to clean up, restore and remediate the Barge Canal without removing contaminated soil.
Engage and inform residents and visitors about the history and ecology of the Barge Canal.
Work with the city, with private landowners and with other non-profit organizations to ensure safe access to the Barge Canal without negative impact to the animal and plant communities that inhabit the land and water.
Prioritize conservation, regeneration, and restoration as the primary values for the Barge Canal rather than profit or tax-base increases.
Preserve the Barge Canal as a living, evolving green space in the developing South End.
Monitor all aspects of development proposals for the Barge Canal
Create and maintain a research library of the natural, indigenous and industrial history of the Barge Canal