2024 Impact: people, plants & places
Our Impact
Community contributions on the trail
Our Trail Steward volunteers help to keep our natural areas clean, welcoming, and accessible. We are proud of our community's impact in 2024 with 375 hours contributed by stewards helping our partner land managers to maintain trails, clean up waste and debris, restock trail maps, and respond to trail issues in a timely manner. Many hands (and eyes) make for easier work!
From cleanup after devastating floods to time spent on trail wearing volunteer badges, these community members embody a community investment in caring for our wild places.
If you are interested in volunteering this year, we'd love to have you!
Putting classroom knowledge into action
Our programming with Burlington School District students focuses on helping Burlington to become more resilient in the face of climate change and giving students the agency to be a part of that process.
Through lessons ranging from pollinators and studies of phenology, as well as by maintaining active tree and perennial plant nurseries on school campuses across the city, students are learning about and directly supporting our local ecosystems and community.
In 2024, Burlington students grew and planted ~600 plants, planted a pocket forest, completed a riverbank tree restoration project, and much more!
700 students from pre-k through high-school took part in programming. These moments leave a lasting impression and help students to feel connected to, and responsible for the health of their community.
Burlington City and Lake Semester students helping to collect hardwood cuttings for restoration tree nursery.
Our project experience shifted my understanding of what it takes for a community to thrive, as I realize more now that the environmental health of the community matters a lot to the health of everyone.
A reason to celebrate
There's so much to celebrate in Burlington. We face many challenges but are fortunate for our many wild places, engaged partners, and special community.
City Nature Celebration is designed to celebrate just that, happening at the end of April when leaves emerge and hope of spring is alive.
Over 500 community members joined us for a series of free activities, guided walks, bioblitz, and habitat restoration projects that get people into our wild places to experience, restore, and learn about them.
