Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer To stop without a farmhouse near Between the woods and frozen lake The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake To ask if there is some mistake. The only other sound’s the sweep Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep.
Robert Frost
I thought this was a fitting poem to summarize by love of Vermont during the winter months- the prose is truly timeless! I hope you all have a wonderful break and I will be back to visit Salmon Hole come next semester!
Over the past 12,000 years, humans have inhabited and used Salmon Hole. This human history in the area can be expanded to encompass the human history of the Winooski itself, which derives from the Abenaki word Winooskiok (land of the wild onions). Since Salmon Hole is marginally inland from Lake Champlain, it’s water flow is slow and steady, allowing for easy human access to the area; therefore, it also has important attributes to sustain human involvement there. The large bay in bent shape in the park allowed for fish to spawn there (salmon, alewives, and shad were typical species that inhabited the area). Thus, it supported a fishing industry in the area not only in Salmon Hole but also on Lake Champlain, since fish could safely reproduce and migrate to Lake Champlain. The human remnants in the area, namely the bridge over the Winooski and the manmade waterfall, along with the industrial buildings along the river, also demonstrate the industrial/farming aspect of human history in Salmon Hole and the greater Winooski area.
The general area of Salmon Hole, specifically its relative location surrounding the Burlington area and Lake Champlain, has appealed to humans due to the warmer climate (reinforced by climate change), resulting in longer and more bountiful growing/harvest seasons. further, the biodiversity of the area is higher due to the extended elevation gradients- there are also many resources in the area (trees, water, good soil, etc.)
“This park offers an interesting history of geology. The rippled rocks speak of the water currents that covered the land about 500 million years ago.
The velocity of the water shows itself in the striations seen in the cliff-side. Small holes can be identified in the rocks as wormholes, one of the most advanced species of their time. If you follow the Riverwalk Trail along the Winooski River, the trail will take you all the way to a viewing area off of Intervale Road.”
Salmon Hole Park has impressive cliff sides surrounding the deepest area of its body of water, which invoke a sense of magnificence and grandeur along with great history upon viewing. The weathered stone is another addition to the greater geologic history of the Burlington area of VT, which has a multi-million year history involving massive earthly collisions, the flooding and melting of seas, and the creation of the Adirondack and Green Mountain Ranges.
“The rock layers at the Salmon Hole record sediment that was deposited on the shoreline of an ancient ocean approximately 540 million years ago. The red-colored sandstone rock unit that is found here at Salmon Hole and at several other locations around Burlington (ex, Red Rocks Park) is called the Monkton Formation. The rocks of the Monkton Formation preserve the sediment, structures formed by extinct marine organisms, and sedimentary structures that formed on the shoreline of an ancient ocean. Evidence for this interpretation can be seen by walking on the rock layers of the Salmon Hole and looking down at the rocks under your feet. You are literally walking on what was an ancient sea floor.”
Having learned of the history of marine organism deposits in VT and their impact of the geologic makeup of the area, specifically with reference to the calcium rich soil along with its relationship with limestone, it made my experience with Salmon Hole Park so much more special knowing that I was standing on ancient worldly history.
“This study compared 141 ecologically relevant climate metrics to field assessments of sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) canopy condition across Vermont, USA from 1988 to 2012. After removing the influence of disturbance events during this time period to isolate the impact of climate, we identified five climate metrics that were significantly related to sugar maple crown condition. While three of these are monthly summary metrics commonly used in climate analyses (minimum April, August, and October temperatures), two are novel metrics designed to capture extreme climate events (periods of unusual warmth in January and August). The proportion of climate-driven variability in canopy condition is comparable to the proportion accounted for by defoliating pests and other disturbance events. This indicates that climate conditions, though rarely included in sugar maple decline studies, may be of equal importance as more traditionally studied stress agents. Modeled across the state, results indicate that changes in historical climatic conditions have negatively impacted sugar maple health over the 25 year study period, and are likely to degrade further over time. Climate projections under a low emissions scenario indicated that by 2071 55% of sugar maple across the state would likely experience moderate to severe climate-driven stress relative to historic baselines, increasing to 84% under a high emissions scenario. However, geographic variability in projected climate impacts indicates that while conditions for sugar maple will likely deteriorate across the state, climate refugia should also be available to maintain sugar maple in spite of changing climatic conditions. Considering the predominant role of sugar maple in Vermont’s economy and culture, managing this resource into the future could pose a considerable challenge.”
