Download red rocks park - South Burlington Recreation and Parks

WHAT CAN YOU DO?
WEIGH IN
 Join South Burlington residents and park users in creating a community vision for the park – make
comments online, go to a public meeting, or contact the Red Rocks Park committee
 Suggest ideas and improvements for management issues, recreational opportunities, and more
BE A PARK STEWARD
 Take part in park service days to remove invasive plants, maintain trails, and monitor wildlife
 Sign up to receive email updates about community work days
 Be considerate of others and respect park rules
SUPPORT THE PARK
 Support development of a sustainable funding stream for park maintenance and improvements
 Make a donation to The Friends of Red Rocks Park
LEARN MORE
 Read the full Red Rocks management study online (available May 2013)
 Explore the park with the Red Rocks Nature Club, which meets on the last Sunday of each month
at the park entry gate
RED ROCKS
PARK
FOR MORE INFO:
Email: [email protected]
Web: http://redrockspark.blogspot.com
Working towards a community-based
management plan
Opportunities: A retired parking area (left) could be restored to forest or converted to an outdoor classroom or nature
play area. An area of wet soil disturbed by machinery (center) is in need of repair. Park visitors are frequently disoriented
at unmarked trail intersections (right), which would benefit from signage.
Prepared by Sophie Mazowita, MS candidate, UVM Field Naturalist Program
for the City of South Burlington
April 2013
RED ROCKS PARK is a 100-acre community park and natural area in South Burlington, Vermont. It was purchased
by the City in 1970, having formerly served as the Hatch Family estate. Carriage roads created by the Hatch family
now provide walking trails through mature maple and oak forest, towards lookouts perched atop limestone cliffs.
The park is also the site of the Champlain Water District’s pumping station, which is the sole water source for much
of Chittenden county. Red Rocks is one of four natural areas in the South Burlington parks network.
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100 acres of urban forest in South Burlington
A popular destination for hiking, dog-walking, swimming, and nature appreciation
South Burlington’s only public lake access: 200 yards of waterfront sand and cobble beach
State-significant limestone bluff cedar-pine forest: a rare natural community of old cedar trees grows on
top of the cliffs
Mature forest, rock ledges, vernal pools, tree cavities and fallen wood provide important wildlife habitat
NATURAL RICHES
Red Rocks gets its name from the iron-rich Monkton quartzite rocks that
underlie the park. These rocks are formed of sand that fell to the bottom of a
shallow sea 500 million years ago, along with the remains of marine creatures that
provide a rich source of calcium. The nutrient-rich rocks now host many special
plants, including a diversity of spring wildflowers.
The soils of Red Rocks are mostly loams (a mix of particle sizes) with a shallow
depth to bedrock (under 2 ft in most locations, with many bedrock exposures). The
shallow soils make it difficult for trees to root, and they are easily blown over by
wind, especially during rainfall that loosens the soils.
The park has several wetland areas, where either very fine soils or the shallow
Locating Red Rocks in South
bedrock
cause water to stay perched at or near the ground surface. These wetland
Burlington (red)
areas are the site of vernal pools that are important to breeding frogs and
salamanders in the spring.
The Red Rocks forest is a mix of northern hardwood tree species including maples and beech, along with
oaks and hickories that favor more warm and dry conditions. The cliff ledges are the site of state-significant
limestone bluff cedar-pine forest
The Lake Champlain shoreline is a key feature of Red Rocks
and an important corridor for wildlife in South Burlington.
MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES
Like in any well-used public park, Red Rocks managers face the
challenge of providing a variety of recreational opportunities to
park users while maintaining healthy forests and wildlife habitat.
Heavy recreational use compounds problems of invasive species
introductions, off-leash dog impacts, and unofficial trail creation
and erosion.
MANAGEMENT NEEDS & OPPORTUNITIES
• Implement a long-term park plan that takes an adaptive
management approach (diagram on right), with regular review
• Develop a funding stream for implementation, with support from
the City
• Recruit a volunteer base to steward the park
• Engage park users in creating a community vision for the park and
setting criteria to weigh different management options
• Initiate strategies and policies for key action items:
o Non-native plants: Remove priority invasive species and monitor
for new occurrences.
o Trails: Close and rehabilitate unofficial trails, starting with highimpact eroding trails. Open select trails for official use to
concentrate use and limit the extent of impact.
o Off-leash dogs: Consider a trial of on-leash/off-leash days or
times for dog-walkers. Educate park users about reasons for
leash laws.
o Forest health: Leave fallen or cut trees and branches for
provision of wildlife habitat. Consider pruning to open view
corridors.
o CWD easement: Encourage the Champlain Water District to
maintain herbaceous growth through the 40-foot easement that
runs from the park entrance to their pumping station.
o Parking: Assess parking alternatives. Restore retired areas.
o Signage: Post temporary park maps ahead of permanent
directional signage at key park intersections. Install a park info
sign at main entrance.
o Recreation: Consider new opportunities, with public input.
o Education: Provide educational and interpretive resources to
school and public groups. Consider Red Rocks’ value as a
community forest and outdoor classroom. Increase
opportunities for public engagement.
 Red Rocks has 3.3 miles of walking trails and access roads and
an additional 4.3 miles of unofficial side trails
 No place in Red Rocks is more than 300 feet from a trail
 Approximately 12% of dog walkers obey the leash law
The “adaptive management” approach to
park planning involves ongoing reevaluation and adjustment of strategies.
Above: Downed trees and branches and
other “coarse woody debris” provide
food and cover for wildlife.
Below: The “wolf tree” is surrounded by
a yellowish-green understory of nonnative buckthorn, which holds onto its
leaves in the fall long after all the native
trees have dropped theirs.