 Looking downstream from Lareau Swimhole provides a good example of how the Mad River naturally bends, depositing sediment on the inside of the bend. Photo: Donna Van Halle By Ira Shadis, Executive Director
On June 22nd & 23rd, teams of Mad River Watch volunteers visited their field sites to collect important data and make careful environmental observations for the second time this summer. This article is part of an ongoing series that shares highlights from this field work as well as lessons learned from this year and the past 40 years of Friends of the Mad River’s Mad River Watch program. A history of channel management “Rivers are dynamic systems,” says Friends of the Mad River Director Ira Shadis. “Over the course of their life, they will change in some pretty extreme ways. When glaciers started retreating from the valley 14,000 years ago, water flowed through the Granville gulch and joined up with the Connecticut River basin. We might not have glaciers today, but the more recent history of human activity has definitely impacted the way water moves through this landscape.” Assessments of river dynamics were completed in 2008 for the upper Mad River and in 2018 for the portion of the river that flows through Moretown. The 2008 report noted that, “with the exception of three reaches found in narrow, bedrock-controlled settings, the Mad River has been historically altered, and in many areas, ‘locked in place’ through channel straightening and dredging, application of bank armoring, and removal of stream bank vegetation.” The cumulative effect of these activities has been a simplified channel form (i.e. a river with fewer bends and less vegetation) that provides only limited habitat for aquatic wildlife. “The historical assessment of the floodplain, through aerial photographs and other maps, suggests that major channel management projects were undertaken following the 1927 and 1938 floods,” says Shadis. “These were substantial undertakings whose effect we are still feeling today. And, while these projects might have provided some short-term protection to a few properties along the river, we know that when a river is hardened in this way it will send flooding and erosion issues to the next property downstream.” A Catalyst for Change At a recent flood resiliency event hosted by Friends of the Mad River and the Mad River Planning District, panelists reflected on the lessons learned from the 2023 and 2024 July floods. Dan Fingas, Plainfield Selectboard member explained that “anytime you try to engineer an end result with the river, it’s going to have a downstream or an upstream effect. You might fix [the issue] for your town but you’re not going to fix it for the towns around you.” As major storms roll through the region, they can have a direct impact on the evolution of the river. Increased flows accelerate normal processes and can rework sections of the river overnight. Some stretches of the Mad River are more prone to erosion and others are more prone to deposition of material. “The slope of the river, historic disconnection from the floodplain, the presence or absence of woody material in the channel, and health of riparian buffers can all play a role in determining which areas lose, transport, and accumulate material,” says Shadis. “At the end of the day, the river is trying to regain equilibrium within the physical (and biological) boundaries of the surrounding land. The more room we can give the river, the more opportunity there is for an ecologically rich and biodiverse community to take advantage of that equilibrium. For us humans, the challenge of living along the river arises from the fact that we also want a sense of equilibrium when it comes to our roads, houses, and other infrastructure – and that sometimes the river disagrees with us.” Notes from the Field Heavy rains on Saturday night and early Sunday morning showed up in volunteer observations. At Warren Covered Bridge, a tree broke and leaned into the river (providing critical shade to protect brook trout during this week’s heatwave). Volunteers noted similar evidence of erosion and deposition at nearly all field sites. Of note from the first set of field days, significant washouts along Brook Road in Waitsfield showed up as increased turbidity in High Bridge Brook. Water Temperatures ranged from a low of 56F at 10am Sunday at Warren Falls to a high of 69F at 1pm Sunday at Hopper Lane in Moretown.  Clay Brook, visited for the first time this summer by volunteer Susie Conrad, looked completely different than last year due to erosion and storm damage. Photo: Susie Conrad. This past weekend marked the beginning of the Friends of the Mad River 2025 Mad River Watch season. Twenty-five volunteers headed out to survey and collect data at 23 sites throughout the Mad River watershed. Many of our sites occur along the main stem of the Mad River, but volunteers also visit many of the tributaries that enter the Mad River on its 28 mile journey from its headwaters in the Granville Gulf to the confluence with the Winooski. The observations and data that they collect add to 40 years of information about our watershed, representing one of the longest-standing water quality monitoring programs in the United States.
Volunteers are our “eyes and ears” on the watershed As is typical of many small non-profits in the Mad River Valley, Friends of the Mad River operates with only a few full time staff. For this reason, our work is bolstered by the stalwart efforts of our volunteers, who help us to monitor the ebbs and flows of the Mad River. By cataloging the river throughout our field season, they help us better understand how the river is constantly changing. As Friends’ Executive Director, Ira Shadis, likes to exclaim, “Volunteers are our eyes and ears on the watershed.” Sometimes, a single year can bring big changes to a particular tributary or section of the river. For example, two of our volunteers remarked on drastic changes to their sites since they last visited in the fall of 2024. Susie Conrad, who monitors Clay Brook, commented, “I was amazed at the storm damage and erosion at Clay Brook… 3-4 trees washed out. A large section of bank up and down stream was carved out. Clay Brook has carved a new path upstream where the bank was ripped out.” Similarly, while monitoring Folsom Brook near where Route 100 washed out during last month’s storms, Peter White exclaimed that the tributary was “almost unrecognizable”. These observations speak to the nature of our most recent flood events, which often have highly localized impacts. One tributary or section of the Mad River can be ravaged by a storm, while other parts of the watershed might show little to no impact whatsoever. These observations also highlight the importance of having volunteers scattered throughout the watershed. Long term data tells a story Taken alone, a single photo or set of data collected by volunteers might not be all that helpful. Whether it is information about water temperature, pH, or conductivity (how much sediment is suspended in water), one piece of data only provides a snapshot at what is happening in that moment. It can sometimes be tempting to try to jump to conclusions or make assumptions based upon one or two of these observations. Collectively, however, all of these years of data help us to paint a picture of how the watershed has changed over time. For example, comparing water temperatures from this past weekend, to June of 2024 can be complicated and riddled with errors. On the other hand, comparing water temperatures from the first week of June for each of the past 40 years can be illuminating. The immense value of Mad River Watch is that it allows us to look at long term trends for how our watershed is being impacted by everything from development pressures to climate change. A lot has changed in the Mad River Valley since the first Mad River Watch volunteers went out back in 1985. The information collected by generations of dedicated volunteers since that time helps us to better understand the place we call home and the river that connects us all. Ascending the slopes of Sugarbush under a beautiful full moon, 30 skiers and riders participated in the “uphill rally” component of the first annual “Climb It For Climate”. Hosted by Friends of the Mad River and the Mad River Valley Backcountry Coalition (MRVBC), this event aimed to pair outdoor adventure with the screening of inspiring and thought-provoking climate focused ski and snowboard films to encourage discussion of these topics by the ski community.
Ranging in age from 12 to 72, groups of skiers and splitboarders climbed the mountain together, sharing stories and creating connections around their shared love of all things fun and frozen. The riders were treated to clear skies, great conversation, and a noticeable lack of wind, as they transitioned into downhill mode for the descent back to Gatehouse Lodge. After changing out of sweaty gear and grabbing a quick bite to eat, the group settled in for the show. The crowd swelled to almost 70 as a series of films were queued up to engage and inspire the crowd to think about the impacts of climate change on winter recreation. For each film shown, there were discussion prompts, asking the audience to reflect and converse upon the messaging of the films. The screening kicked off with Front Lines, a film from Pangea Creatives, that focuses on how the ski industry is not only threatened by climate change, but how it contributes to the carbon emissions that fuel the climate crisis. With interviews of Freeride World Tour members, heli-skiing businesses, and climatologists, amongst others, the film explores the future of skiing, especially in light of the amount of travel that our modern model of ski tourism relies upon. The message was heavy, and the filmmakers didn’t shy away from the hard truth of the ski industry and climate change. In stark contrast, the next film was Save Our Snowmen, a humorous and sarcastic short film highlighting the plight of “snowpeople” as they are forced to migrate further north in light of a changing climate. Following these two films, the discussion centered around the “messaging” of climate change. Audience members were asked to reflect upon the following quote from Dr. Simon Donner, a climatologist at the University of British Columbia: “There’s audiences for whom I’m a good voice, but there’s all sorts of ones that I’m not the voice… There are so many ways we could be trying to change not the climate message, but the climate messengers.” Group conversations, following the film, centered around building a more inclusive outdoor community and cited the importance of helping as many people as possible create a personal connection to the outdoors. A real highlight of the evening included the screening of Totality, a film shot on Mt. Mansfield by local skiers during the eclipse of 2024. Adam Kruszyna, Evan Daigle, and Matt Scheeler, who were several of the skiers who collaborated to make the film, attended the event and participated in a brief Q&A. The conversation centered on exploring why these talented skiers choose to pursue adventure in their home state rather than chasing more travel intensive snow adventures around the globe. All three commented on how many incredible opportunities there are for adventure here in Vermont, many of which are often overlooked by locals. They emphasized the value of doing what you love in a place you love and encouraged the audience to consider how adventuring close to home can benefit the climate and local communities. The last film of the night was 75 Years: A Short Film From Whitefish, Montana About Protecting Our Winters. The film highlighted how a ski community united to take collective action on issues related to climate change. Following the film, audience members were asked to explore the ways in which the Mad River Valley and Vermont ski communities could undertake a similar endeavor built around creating a more climate resilient community. Julie Frost and Gannon Osborn from MRVBC, and Marcy Bucheit and Luke Foley from Friends of the Mad River worked together to plan the event and facilitate the dialogue. Special thanks to Vaughn Keenhold from Sugarbush who helped to plan, promote, and host the successful event. |
Friendsof the Mad River Archives
November 2025
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