In the lead up to the Thanksgiving holiday, Save Open Space - Burlington (SOS-B) wants to acknowledge the vital role that Nature plays in protecting us from environmental toxins and lessening the damage of climate disruption. We will meet at the Barge Canal Superfund Site in Burlington's South End to specifically give thanks to the plants, the fungi and the soil's multitude of creatures for their quiet, persistent work in slowly healing that human-impacted land. From the first years of the 20th century until 1966, the Burlington Light and Power Company operated a coal gasification plant on Pine Street, dumping toxic waste products into the adjacent Barge Canal. The gas plant is gone, but the toxins remain in the water and the soil. Since 1983, when the Barge Canal was designated a federal "Superfund" site, human efforts to remediate the damaged land and protect Lake Champlain have provided some containment, but the real healing of this small bit of wetland and woodland is happening without human intervention.

We will gather on Nov. 13 to thank the land and its beings for their work. We will also demand that the City of Burlington work toward conserving the Barge Canal land -- both public and private parcels -- to support that remediation work by recognizing that humans have already done enough damage, that nature-based solutions are the most effective means of moving toward a healthy future.

SOS-B invites you to a "Thanks Giving" at the Barge Canal Superfund Site on Saturday, November 13 at 1 PM (Rain or shine!) Meet at the "For Sale" sign on Pine St. just south of Maltex building.

Dec 1, 2024, 2 to 6 PM

Dec 2, 2024, 10 AM to 12 PM

Dec 6, 2024