Written by: Olivia Conti

Olivia is an undergraduate student at the University of Vermont and worked with the Intervale Center as part of a capstone communications project.

Audubon Vermont and the Gund Institute for Environment at the University of Vermont have partnered to create recommendations for bird and pollinator friendly management within the Burlington’s Intervale - 360 acres of community forest and farmland in the heart of Vermont’s most populated city. The recommendations are meant to help with the improvement of habitat for birds and other pollinators, like bees, on the land managed by the Intervale Center. Duncan Murdoch, Natural Areas Stewardship Coordinator at the Intervale Center, is implementing recommendations from the recently published Initial Recommendations for Bird and Pollinator Friendly Management Intervale Center and Farms report. This collaborative effort is aimed at improving habitats for pollinators, ultimately boosting native bird populations and overall biodiversity.

The report highlights ways to support pollinators—like planting native shrubs and plants and managing invasive species on the land. Because certain species of pollinators feed on a single plant variety, it is essential to increase the diversity of flora in the Intervale to attract a wider variety of pollinators. The hope is for these efforts to help attract birds, like the American Kestrel, American Woodcock, and the Short-Eared Owl, to the area to ultimately create an even stronger ecosystem.

Managing invasive plant species is also important for maintaining pollinator habitats. Honeysuckle is a non-native invasive plant that’s present in the area (there are native species as well), and its growth blocks sunlight from the native plants that act as pollinator habitat. Murdoch is managing the landscape by removing non-native invasive plants so that native biodiversity can thrive - utilizing the help of volunteers to remove invasive species when extra hands are needed.

Murdoch has already prioritized two fallow fields as habitat for growing a variety of native shrubs and trees which he started planting in 2020. The zones are oriented in grid patterns so it’s easy for farmers and land managers to mow in between without damaging any of the new plantings. Once the native plants have matured to a certain height Murdoch doesn’t have to worry as much about deer eating them, as he puts it, “they’ve reached escape velocity.” Once trees are tall, established, and have enough leaves to photosynthesize and sustain themselves, deer accessing the lower parts of the tree are generally no longer detrimental to their health. The habitats are also planted close together which helps support bees that cannot travel far.

Murdoch is currently working to thin out the hedgerows along farm fields, aiming to create a more diverse range of tree heights, as the existing trees lack diversity in species and height . One important consideration he has factored in is ensuring that tall trees aren’t planted too close to farm fields, where they could cast unwanted shade and reduce productivity and yield amounts of their produce.

The Intervale Center is dedicated to stewarding the Intervale’s agricultural landscape by supporting biodiversity and community connection to the land. They are always interested engaging people to help! Murdoch has volunteer programs for helping manage invasive plants and bird and pollinator habitats and more. Email Duncan@intervale.org to sign up to volunteer with our Land Stewardship team to help maintain and “adopt” these bird and pollinator zones.