Town Plan
Section 14: Recreation
Green Mountain National Forest, Long Trail, Appalachian Trail
A
wide range of recreational opportunities are provided throughout Wallingford for
both residents and visitors alike. These
opportunities are provided by local authorities and organizations, as well as by
the state and federal government. Recreational
resources include a Town Recreation Park, a privately owned recreation park open
to the public, the Long Trail/Appalachian Trail, the Green Mountain National
Forest and Otter Creek. Recreational
trails are shown on Map 10.
Wallingford Park Association
The
Wallingford Park Association is a private, non-profit corporation operated by
volunteers to oversee land donated to and acquired by the Park Association since
1919. The land, which runs on both
sides of Otter Creek and along Elfin Lake, includes a sand and gravel pit.
The Association leases land to the Town of Wallingford for the Transfer
Station, as well as the basketball and tennis courts, and the north and middle
ballfields.
Each
summer, the Association operates the Elfin Lake beach, staffed with lifeguards,
and offers recreational programs for children.
In 1996, a sand and gravel agreement with the J.A. McDonald Construction
Company resulted in a reclamation plan for the ‘sand pit’.
This project is part of a long-range plan to create new soccer, baseball
and softball fields to meet growing community needs.
The creation of a footbridge over Otter Creek to connect the existing
playing fields with the new area and with Elfin Lake is planned for next year.
Bicycle and walking paths are also part of the plan.
In the future, Wallingford will be fortunate to have an outstanding recreational facility within walking distance of the village, and the old sand pit will be reclaimed and planted to recapture the natural beauty of the area.
Town Recreation Field
The
Town Recreation Field includes 3 ballfields, a playground, a basketball court
and a tennis court on 6 plus acres on Meadow Street.
The Recreation Field property was acquired in 1974, with improved
facilities developed in 1976 and 1989. Recreation
programs are operated throughout the summer.
Activities
at the Recreation Field are overseen by a seven member Recreation Board
appointed by the Selectboard. According
to the bylaws of the Recreation Board, two of the seven members must be members
of the Board of the Wallingford Recreation Association.
Use
of the recreation field is open to everyone free of charge.
Activities enjoyed at the facilities on a regular basis include softball,
baseball, soccer and tennis. Access
is available from sunrise to sunset, from Monday through Sunday.
Although no specific counts are recorded, the level of use of the
facility is high and appears to be increasing.
The
Board’s summer program is also very successful.
In its tenth year, the program has grown from 15 participants in 1987 to
60 in 1998. Participation is
anticipated to continue to increase over the next five years.
The
condition of the recreation field is currently considered to be good, although
in years past the facility was in poor condition as a result of disrespect and
abuse. With increases in population
and use, there will be a need for more intensive management and some increase in
funding.
Funding
for the Recreation Field is raised through the property tax as part of the
Town’s general municipal budget, and through special state and federal grants.
For example, the improvements made to the park in 1989 were made possible
by a $70,000 grant from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund.
A small scale concession has also been resumed to supplement local and
federal funding sources.
Projects planned for 2004 include landscaping around the newly paved area, upgrading and replacing some of the playground equipment, and repairing the cracks in the tennis courts.
Green Mountain National Forest, Long Trail, Appalachian Trail
The
Green Mountain National Forest (GMNF) is a large federal land holding maintained
to provide benefits - including recreational benefits - that privately owned
land does not. With its large
tracts of land in remote areas, the National Forest offers many opportunities to
the public for back country recreation and wilderness.
Along with this emphasis on outdoor recreation, the GMNF works to protect
and enhance forest scenery and habitat for fish and wildlife.
The
GMNF is managed by the U.S. Forest Service according to the principles of
multiple use, meaning that the range of opportunities available within the
forest are tailored to meet the needs of a wide variety of users.
The application of these multiple use principles is spelled out in the
GMNF Ten Year Plan, which was prepared with extensive public involvement by the
diverse groups of people using the forest.
It is nearing the end of the ten-year period covered under the present
Plan, and the GMNF is preparing for Forest Plan revision.
During 1997-98, a series of three focus groups and five Public
Participation Group (PPG) meetings were held throughout Vermont, and in Boston
to identify issues, and try to reach consensus on resolution.
During this time, Congress decided to put Plan revision on hold, while
the Congress wrestled with the role of the national forests nationwide.
As a result, at the last PPG meeting, held in June 1998, issues/problems
were separated into those which needed to be placed on hold pending
Congressional action, and those which can be considered implementation under the
existing Plan. As the result of
this exercise, five working groups were identified.
These are: land acquisition, monitoring, education, trail improvements
and improved inter-governmental relations.
Interested persons are solicited to participate in these groups.
Funding
for the GMNF comes from the federal government.
As a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Forest Service
receives appropriations from Congress. It
also generates revenue from timber sales, from leases and from user fees.
Of
the 340,000 acres within the GMNF, 7,500 are within Wallingford.
Important GMNF recreation features within or partially within Wallingford
include White Rocks National Recreational Area, which contains White Rocks
Picnic Area, the White Rocks Cliffs and Ice Beds, and the Greenwall Shelter. The White Rocks National Recreational Area was established by
federal law for the purpose of preserving and protecting “existing and wild
values and to promote wild forest and aquatic habitat for wildlife, watershed
protection, opportunities for primitive and semi-primitive recreation and
scenic, ecological, and scientific values.”
The
White Rocks picnic area takes up 10 acres near Route 140 and dates to the
1930’s. It receives heavy use in
the summer, being used by an average of 40 to 60 people per day.
The White Rocks Cliffs and Ice Beds are unique geological features with
important wildlife and natural area values.
The Greenwall Shelter is a shelter along the Long and Appalachian Trails.
The
Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Georgia to Maine, is a significant
recreational resource in its own right. The
National Park Service, a branch of the U.S. Department of the Interior, helps
manage the trail in partnership with the Forest Service, the State of Vermont
and the Appalachian Trail Conference. Approximately
10 miles of the Trail are located in Wallingford, stretching along the Green
Mountains from Mount Tabor to Shrewsbury. Based
on available data, an estimated 25,000 to 30,000 people hike at least a portion
of the Appalachian Trail within Vermont annually.
The section of the Trail running through the Rutland Region is one of the
most heavily used, in part because its proximity to Routes 4 and 7 permits easy
access by casual day hikers and serious long distance hikers alike.
Other
important recreational trails in town include the network maintained by the
Vermont Association of Snow Travelers. (VAST)
Otter Creek
As
a recreation resource, Otter Creek offers a range of opportunities, from fishing
to boating. According to The
Vermont Rivers Study, fish species found in Otter Creek include brown, brook and
rainbow trout, northern pike and small mouth bass.
Recreational
boating opportunities in the area are considered very good, particularly for
canoe touring. The experience offered by Otter Creek is characterized by an
extended season and easy access to flatwater, quickwater and easy rapids.
Management
responsibilities for Otter Creek are shared by the Vermont Departments of Fish
and Wildlife (DFW), and of Environmental Conservation (DEC).
DFW issues hunting, fishing and trapping licenses, enforces state fish
and wildlife laws and sponsors and manages projects to prevent poaching. DEC
monitors water quality, regulates stream alterations and stream flow, and is
involved in other water quality related activities.
Both agencies conduct research, and work to improve fisheries habitat,
and both can acquire land and water resources for water quality and habitat
protection and improvement. In
1990, DFW spent $337,000 to acquire land on Otter Creek.