New Actions for the Barge Canal

We have 3 important and related actions for you to take today - something to listen to, a petition to sign and a survey to fill out.

Would you appreciate a 15-minute history of the Pine Barge Canal that you can listen to while washing the dishes or taking a walk? We have a podcast just for you! Created by UVM student Maeve Fairfax with a passion for media and who just happens to have grown up in the neighborhood of the Barge Canal, this episode features Andy Simon and provides a brief overview of the history of this land. Give a listen here, and look for more Barge Canal content in the future.

We want to remind you to sign our petition calling for Burlington’s Community and Economic Development Office (CEDO) to convene a “conference of all concerned parties to discuss what kind of “development” will most benefit all the stakeholders (including human and non-human residents of Burlington.” We began this petition in January and you may already have signed. If not, now is a very good time to sign (see next action below) and please pass this link along to anyone concerned about the Pine Barge Canal, climate change, Burlington development and taking our human place in nature.

The Friends of the Barge Canal’s goal is to protect and conserve the Pine Barge Canal as an important natural resource in Burlington. Recently, the city has heeded the call of a 1997 City Council Resolution which called for the creation of a plan to protect important natural areas and open spaces. This resolution called for identifying, protecting, and preserving the City's natural areas and open spaces. This new initiative is still in its early stages, but so far, Pine Barge Canal is not included in their map as valuable open space. You can help us protect the Barge Canal by adding your voice to the survey. You can jump to the section which asks for your ideas of open spaces that should be protected.

Burlington is at a crossroads right now, and this is the moment for CEDO to convene a conference to discuss what kinds of development will most benefit all Burlington’s human and more-than-human stakeholders.