Self-guided Green Infrastructure Bike Tour
Contact: Becky Tharp
Green Infrastructure Collaborative
Telephone: 802-656-2514 Email: rtharp [at] uvm.edu
Website: http://uvm.edu/seagrant/GI-bike-map
Date: August 16, 2016 – For immediate release
Self-guided Bike Tour Map of Burlington’s Green Infrastructure
The Green Infrastructure Collaborative, a partnership between Lake Champlain Sea Grant and Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, recently published a self-guided bike tour map of Burlington’s green stormwater infrastructure (GSI). Green Stormwater Infrastructure is a complementary and sometimes alternative system to traditional or "gray infrastructure" to manage runoff from developed lands. GSI is better for water quality than traditional systems and it beautifies our urban spaces.
The 7 mile cycling loop winds through the city, starting at Local Motion on the waterfront bike path, and highlights GI installations throughout the downtown area - such as rain gardens, permeable paving surfaces, green roofs, and gravel wetlands. With input from the Urban and Community Forestry Program, notable trees along the tour are highlighted for their stormwater management services.
University of Vermont (UVM) and Champlain College campuses serve as demonstration sites for several important green stormwater infrastructure practices. These include green roofs, permeable pavers, a gravel wetland, and even a student-designed and installed rain garden. In addition, the bioretention laboratory on UVM campus is accessible to the public and provides ongoing data on the function and performance of bioretention cells in our changing northern climate. Educational signage throughout the tour is noted on the map for those who want to learn even more about green infrastructure.
For those visiting Burlington, the bike tour offers a perfect way to get to know the City. For locals, this may offer a greener view of a familiar landscape. You can pick up FREE printed copies of the bike map at these locations:
Local Motion (where the tour starts)
Lake Champlain Basin Program Resource room on the second floor of the ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center
Burlington Parks and Recreation office on Pine Street
Burlington Chamber of Commerce on Main Street.
You can also download a PDF of the map by visiting our website.
In partnership with Local Motion and Burlington Parks and Recreation, Lake Champlain Sea Grant is hosting a 1.5 hour group bike ride along the 7 mile tour route on Thursday September 22 at 5:30 PM. Participants should meet at Local Motion on the Burlington Island Line Trail where you will get a paper map and begin the guided tour of some highlights on the route. Please RSVP at http://www.uvm.edu/seagrant/rsvp-green-infrastructure-bike-tour