The Bradford Conservation Commission Welcomes You!
The Bradford Conservation Commission (BCC) was officially established in 1990, when its first set of by-laws were approved by the Bradford Selectboard. This 9-member board is made up of community volunteers who serve for 3-year terms. The BCC meets at the Bradford Academy at 6:30 pm on the first and third Wednesdays of each month, and all meetings are open to the public.
Subscribe To Our Announcement List!
Fill out and submit the form below to join our announcement list! We will be sending out event and trail work announcements, as well as our monthly newsletter. (Your email address will not be given out and will only be used to send you BCC announcements. You can unsubscribe at any time a via link at the bottom of each announcement email.)
Keep Up To Date With Our Calendar of Events
Want to keep up to date with the BCC events? You can access the event list several different ways: look at the event list in the sidebar of this page, check the calendar view on the events page, visit the calendar in a web page, or feed the events to your RSS viewer (or own calendar).
Check Out Our Monthy Newsletters
Check out the Documents Page to view/download our monthly newsletters!
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FREE WORKSHOP - Emerald Ash Borer & Asian Longhorned Beetle Workshop For Citizen Scientists
Join us at the Bradford Academy, Main Street, Bradford, VT on Saturday, August 14th from 9:00am to 1:00pm.
Volunteers will be trained to survey for these two invasive forest pests and provide outreach to the public. This workshop will also serve as a basic train-the-trainer class for those who are interested in teaching other volunteers to survey for these pests.
Students learn about the threat we face from non-native forest pests, how to identify the various life stages of alb and eab, and how to recognize signs and symptoms of both pests on infested trees.
Approximately three hours classroom and one hour field. Dress casual and wear good walking shoes or sneakers for the field portion. Field portion will take place on town land.
Please register by Monday, August 9, 2010 by calling Monique Priestley at 802-222-1909.
Workshop is led by Jay Lackey, a Forestry Specialist with the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation. Sponsored by the Bradford Conservation Commission.
Exciting News!
On June 18th the VT Housing and Conservation Board voted to fund BradfordŐs application for matching funds to acquire and conserve two parcels abutting the WrightŐs MT/DevilŐs Den lands! A closing on this project is expected to take place in early August. The $45,000 matching monies will be drawn from the Bradford Conservation Fund, which was established in 2002 to put Bradford in a position of being ready when opportunities like this one become available.
More Good News!
Volunteers have been working really hard this year to raise money to bolster that Fund through various activities. In the beginning of 2010, BCC set as a goal to fund-raise $12,000 for the Conservation Fund. As of this writing, that goal has been exceeded, via the annual Calendar Supper and Auction, private contributions, Annual Yard Sale, Race to the Top of Bradford, and the recent Estate Sale. And it doesnŐt stop there Đ many thanks to Junkyard Jackie, the Social Club Orchestra and several top Oxbow musicians for donating their time and talents for our Benefit Concert at the Bradford Academy on Friday, 6/25.
On August 8th, our famous maple/apple fritters will be served up at the Conservation Fund booth at the Whole Hog Festival. If you would like to donate to the Bradford Conservation Fund, please mail your tax-deductible contribution to PO Box 339, Bradford, VT 05033.
Summer Benefit Concert - Photos & Video
Did you miss the show or would you like to share what you saw with family and friends?
Kim French was nice enough to provide us with photos and videos of the performances. View photos on our Facebook account or Picasa. View the videos on YouTube.
Thank you so much to everyone who helped and performed!
Race Results - From Race to the Top of Bradford
We had runners from S. Burlington, Montpelier, Lyndonville, E. Corinth, Topsham, Newbury, W. Newbury, Newbury Center, Norwich and Bradford. We hope to see everyone again next year!
Bradford Academy Energy Audit
The final report detailing the results of the Energy Audit that was conducted on the Bradford Academy Building on January 21. Members of BCC's Energy Committee assisted Jon Haehnel of Zero by Degrees on conducting this comprehensive audit. Click here to read the final report.
Haehnel will be presenting the results and recommendations at the 2/25 Selectboard Meeting beginning at 6:30 pm at the Bradford Academy on Main Street, Bradford.
Bradford's Conservation Fund Earns Over $6,000 At Annual Event
BCC's Conservation Fund Committee held its 8th annual Calendar Supper and Auction on Saturday, February 13th. Twelve different table hosts each creatively decorated a table in a theme for their individual particular months and sold tickets for seats at their tables. (Check out photos of the decorated tables.)
The food was donated by Colatina Exit Restaurant, South End Market, Bliss Village Store, Hanover Coop, Ben & Jerry's, Green MT Coffee, Friehoffer's Bakery, Blythedale Farm and Grafton Village Cheese. The culinary arts students at River Bend prepared the delicious spaghetti sauce. Members of the Conservation Commission and Conservation Fund Committee provided lasagnas to top off the meal.
Mary Wendell and John Benjamin began preparing the meal early in the day and treated the crowd to a delicious and highly attractive meal - appetizers, salad and bread, main course, dessert and coffee. Eight Oxbow High School students served as wait staff and clean up crew, and Jim Perry manned the dishwasher.
This year's Silent Auction included 56 donated items and the Live Auction included 100 items, and many donations were hand-crafted by local artisans. Again this year, auctioneers Chuck and Delsie Eaton kept the competitive bidding lively and kept the crowd laughing.
Many thanks go out to all who donated food and auction items.
A heartfelt Thank You to all who worked hard to make this event a HUGE success!
All proceeds from this event will go toward the acquisition and conservation of 64 acres of pristine forest land and wildlife habitat abutting Bradford's conserved Wrights MT parcel.
Holiday Special! BCC Hats On Sale Now!
Holiday Special! BCC hats have been reduced from from $15 to $10. Support a great cause while giving someone you know something special. They make great stocking stuffers! Hats are now $10 for a limited time! Find them at Hill's and North of the Falls.
2nd Annual LEAF (Local Energy Alternatives Festival)
The 2nd Annual LEAF (Local Energy Alternatives Festival) took place on Main Street on October 10, 2009. Check out this year's photos!
Here's what a few participants had to say...
Barbara Duncan, VT Earth Institute: "I was impressed with the presenters and workshop leaders; they were good people who seemed pleased to do this. They were well-prepared and knowledgable. I loved that lots of things were going on all up and down Main Street."
Emmy & Rick Hausman: "The energy fest was a tour de force. What incredible organizing! What an incredible smorgasbord of events! Truly, it was phenomenal. The publicity alone was remarkable."
Via email: "I made some great contacts at LEAF, and have some potential work projects lined up because of this. This event is truly helping our local economy."
Thank you to all who participated! Under the auspices of the Bradford Conservation Commission, the 15-member LEAF Committee organized this event. LEAF was partially funded by the Byrne Foundation, New England Grassroots Environment Fund and received support from Perry's, Farmway, Neuton Mowers and Taylor-Palmer Insurance Agency.
Check Out The 2010 "The Beauty That Is Bradford" Calendar
The 2010 edition of the Bradford Conservation Commission's Calendar - "The Beauty that is Bradford's" is now available at Oxbow Hair Design, Bradford Town Clerk's Office, Aubuchon Hardware, Hill's 5 & 10, Colatina Exit, Bliss Village Store, North of the Falls, Bradford Sports, Pierson Home Decorating and Fairlee Feed and Saddlery. Bonnie Prouty's Autumn Scene was selected by the review committee to grace the cover. Other winning photos were submitted by Phil Bowman, Cindy Clemence, Bethanne Tillotson, Gail Clifford and Mary Gilbert.
Many thanks to Dartmouth Printing Company for donating the printing of the Calendar again this year. Proceeds from the sale of the calendar will benefit the Bradford Conservation Fund. This money is used to help private owners to conserve their lands by paying for 1/2 of an appraisal, and to leverage grant monies to purchase and conserve forest land and wildlife habitat for the Town of Bradford.
This year's Calendar recognizes the Bradford Historical Society for it's amazing accomplishment in restoring the Wilson Globe.
Congratulations to the Bradford Historical Society for the 200 Year Anniversary of the Sale of the First American-Made Globe. On January 18, 1810 James Wilson of Bradford recorded the sale of the first
American-made globe. His invention was the result of Yankee ingenuity and
perseverance. In observance of this bicentennial, the Bradford Historical
Society has commissioned the Williamstown Art Conservator to conserve one of
the few remaining first-year Wilson globes. Donations toward the cost of
this project were received from across the nation. The globe will be on
display at the BHS's Museum on the 3rd floor of the Bradford Academy
Building. It will be displayed in a beautifully-crafted case donated by the
Copeland Furniture Company. (Wilson Globe sketch by Richard DeRosa. “American Home” selection 1842)
Bradford Conservation Made the Social Media Jump
Not only can you find us on Facebook, but you can also find our photos on Picasa, our videos on YouTube and our documents on Scribd. What about Twitter you say? Don't worry, you can catch us there, too (@bccvt)! Content will be added regularly and linked to this website. If you are a member of any of the networks, make sure to connect with us!
Would You Like To Connect?
Do you have a local organization dedicated to conservation and recreation? We'd like to swap links with you! Please contact us either by calling (802) 439-3562, emailing us at contact@bradfordconservation.org or by filling out our contact form.