Brief History of the Management of the University of Vermont Natural Areas
All of the natural areas owned by the University of Vermont are managed by the University of Vermont Natural Areas System which was established by the Board of Trustees in 1974 (Paradis n.d.). With the establishment of University of Vermont Natural Areas System, the Board of Trustees stated “that these University-owned lands be preserved to the greatest extent possible in their natural condition, and be used for educational and scientific purposes insofar as such uses are compatible with the preservation of their natural character,” (University of Vermont Board of Trustees 1974). The Environmental Program at the University of Vermont is responsible for the administration and management of the Natural Areas System (Paradis n.d.). Management of the natural areas was done by multiple faculty in the Environmental Program until 1985 when the Environmental Program hired UVM’s first natural areas manager (Paradis n.d.). The natural areas manager is responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations of the natural areas and the long-term planning and stewardship of the Natural Areas System (Paradis n.d.). The current natural areas manager is ____. UVM partners with The Nature Conservancy as well as local governments, state and federal agencies, and other conservation organizations (Paradis n.d.). The University of Vermont Natural Areas Center was created in 1996 with the goal of promoting and integrating activities at UVM related to the management and conservation of UVM’s natural areas (Paradis n.d.).
Management of Carse Wetlands Natural Areas
Carse Wetlands Natural Area is currently managed by the University of Vermont Natural Areas System. In 2014, the Land Stewardship Program (LANDS) conducted a recreational assessment and proposal. Their long term management recommendations were “1. Monitor and assess trails weekly if possible, or at least annually. 2. Monitor and assess parking lot condition annually. 3. Mow and maintain the field, as well as vegetation surrounding the observation deck, annually. 4. Inventory and remove invasive species on the property annually. 5. Maintain education bulletins and informational documents, specifically regarding health concerns such as, ticks and poison parsnip. 6. Limit use during wet season,” (Land Stewardship Program (LANDS) 2014). It is unclear if these recommendations are being followed. My group and I visited Carse and it did not appear that the trails had been managed. In our opinion, future management should work on the recreational use of Carse. Reaching the pond was impossible with the trails as they are, and better trial marking is needed to ensure users aren’t wandering into tick-nests or game trails we want to preserve. Overall, we believe the current management guidelines are suitable, with some modification from our experience at the property. More direct, hands-on management is necessary to preserve the species and history of this valuable site.