FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 10, 2019
Contact:
Susan Bulmer, NE Parks Regional Manager
Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation | Agency of Natural Resources
(802) 476-0181, Susan.Bulmer@vermont.gov
Public Invited to Bingham Falls Master Plan Project Open House in Stowe, Vermont
The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation invites you to a public open house about Bingham Falls, the popular waterfall in Stowe, Vermont. The open house will be held on Wednesday, June 19, 2019 at the Stowe Akeley Memorial Building from 6:30 – 9:00pm.
Bingham Falls has become one of the popular destinations in Stowe for visitors to the area and is also loved by locals. The primary attraction at Bingham Falls is a series of stunning cascades, gorges, and pools collectively referred to as Bingham Falls. The West Branch of the Little River flows through the center of the property and is surrounded by steep forested hillsides to the east and west making this a unique natural place to visit.
The consultant team of SE Group, Timber & Stone, LLC and Grenier Engineering has completed a site assessment of the Bingham Falls parcel, which is part of Smugglers’ Notch State Park and Mt. Mansfield State Forest. We are looking for community feedback on what features of the property you currently use and value and invite your input at the open house.
The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation acquired the 72.5-acre Bingham Falls property with funding assistance from the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, the Town of Stowe, the Freeman Foundation, the Lintilhac Foundation, the Oakland Foundation and Stowe Land Trust members. Conservation easements are co-held by Stowe Land Trust, the Town of Stowe and the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board.
The primary purposes of the conservation easement are 1) to conserve and protect wildlife habitat, natural communities, native flora and fauna and waterfalls, gorges and cascades, and 2) to foster pedestrian recreational use and utilization of the protected property. To address some of these priorities, a master site plan is being developed to protect these values and the visiting public. The first step is the site assessment and to understand how visitors use the area and what they value about the property and Bingham Falls.
The conceptual master plan design for Bingham Falls may address parking, pedestrian access into and within the site, directional and information signs, the potential for a future bathroom facility and any needed utility systems to support the planned infrastructure and facilities.
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