Great Things Have Come Out of Northfield’s VOREC Recreation Grant

​

In 2023, through the work of Northfield’s Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative Grant (VOREC), the town was awarded a $122,965 grant from the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation.

The primary goal of this grant was the creation of a wayfinding plan, including a recreational map, street signs, trail signs, and kiosks that would help the community navigate to and within the town forest trail system and Norwich University’s Shaw Outdoor Center.

Visitors to the town forest can check out gear at the Brown Public library. Recent additions to the stash of snowshoes & trekking poles are a child-carrier back pack, and kids adventure backpacks with the themes of wildlife, insects, and birds.

The grant also supports programming for the community:

• Story walks for children in a variety of natural settings
Sponsored in conjunction with the Brown Public Library

• Plein Air painting sessions with supplies provided: dates TBA

• Yoga hikes in the town forest and Shaw Outdoor Center

• Saturday, August 24th (Rain Date: Sunday, August 25th)
o Theme: Welcome, Norwich Students and Faculty!
o Meeting Location: Shaw Outdoor Center
• Saturday, September 21st (Rain Date: Sunday, September 22nd)
o Theme: Autumn Equinox
o Meeting Location: Shaw Outdoor Center
• Saturday, October 12th (Rain Date: Sunday, October 13th)
o Theme: Fall Foliage and Indigenous Peoples Day
o Meeting Location: TBD


• Whoo Is It? Southern Vermont Natural History Museum Saturday, August 10th @ 11 am.

• Beetle Identification Workshop with Julia Pupko
August 3rd, 2-4

For information on any of the workshops or hikes, check the library website or the Northfield Town website.

Maps of the town of Northfield and a recreation map for Northfield are the biggest highlights of our wayfinding plan. Print your copy from the town website or find a copy at the Brown Public Library.

Wood and Wood Sign Systems from Waitsfield was selected to fabricate the kiosks and trail signs for the town forest/Shaw Outdoor Center trails.
Our committee received $25,000 of ARPA funding to make these signs a reality.

Deborah Zuaro
Chair, Northfield VOREC Steering Committee