The Mad River Valley Village

Community Recreation Visioning
2025-05-21 17:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Lareau Farm, 48 Lareau Road, Waitsfield, VT, 05673, United States
Community Forum, Wednesday, May 21, 2025
Lareau Pavilion
5 – 6 Potluck
Please bring a plate and utensils, cash bar. Multiple CRV Steering Committee
members with laptops will do demos of the online mapping tool. You can look at your own land or a
favorite spot in the Valley.
6 – 8 Meeting Agenda:
– Welcome and brief overview of the evening (5 min) Phil Huffman
– Shared Vision document presented (20 min) Phil Huffman, Ira Shadis & Bob Kogut
– CRV 2.0 structure (brief intro including Work Priorities & Leads) (10 min) Laura Arnesen
– Walk about (45 min): Laura explains, Alice Rodgers manages bell to encourage people to
move tables
– CRV Partners have tables around the room (all Conservation Commissions at one table)
and attendees move between tables; CRV partners explain how they are implementing CRV in their
work and future plans
– One table, staffed by CRV members, has posters with top CRV Work Priorities & Leads –
attendees are asked for input by attaching a post it-note with questions, suggestions or offers of
help. Five priorities:
1 Code of Ethics for MRV Recreation Users, we’d like your suggestions?
2 Promote CRV outreach efforts to private landowners. Possible strategies: develop and
share a toolkit with information and contacts and/or establish a CRV technical assistance
process for private landowners considering new trails. Other strategies?
3 Seek scientific data to better understand the ecological health of the valley for siting and
management of existing and future trails. Data to include wildlife corridors, road crossings,
habitat connectors, etc. Please weigh in on the importance of this data.
4 Opportunities to enhance our understanding of the ecological health of the valley and the
effect of trails and recreation on it. Please suggest topics and/or specific speakers.
5 Dogs on Trails. Town statutes pertain: Warren and Fayston require leashes; Waitsfield and
Moretown dogs must be under voice command. Issues: dogs off leash, dog poop is not
always picked up and bags are sometimes not disposed of properly, visitors may not know
dog policies, etc. Suggestions for improvement?
– “Play” by Trails groups based on CRV Recreational Trail Development Process Guide (10
min) Misha Golfman and friends, this fun loving group of trail managers will bring this document to
life as they “consider” developing a new trail.
– Q & A (10 min)
– Closing thank you and next steps (5 min) Sam Robinson

Recreation Hub Grand Opening & MRV Recreation District 30th Anniversary
2024-10-20 13:00 - 15:00 | MRV Chamber Welcome Center, 9 Route 17, Waitsfield, VT, 05673, United States
Join us for the grand opening of the new Mad River Valley Recreation Hub This exciting new center is designed to inspire adventure and connect locals and visitors to the Valley’s incredible outdoor opportunities and our business district. The celebration will also honor the 30th anniversary of the Mad River Valley Recreation District, featuring family-friendly activities and outdoor exploration. With maps, guides, and info on all things hiking, biking, skiing, and paddling, the Rec Hub is the go-to resource for year-round fun.
Event Timeline

Noon – Riparian Buffer planting begins (bring your own tools, volunteers meet by the Mill Brook)
1:00 Ribbon Cutting on Mill Brook Bridge, thank you VOREC!
1:10 Volunteer Thank You & Recruitment
1:15 – 2:15 Tours & Events
Friends of the Mad River: Riparian Buffer Planting Continues
Mad River Path: Off-Grid Bathroom Explained
Chamber of Commerce: Tours of the Welcome Center & Itinerary Builder
Mad River Riders Kids’ Bike Event
2:15 Celebrate 30 years of MRVRD
(Refreshments inside at the Welcome Center with MRVRD timeline on display)
MRVRD Volunteer Awards Announced
3:00 Wrap Up

Attendees will enjoy refreshments, giveaways, and live demos of the Hub’s interactive displays. This is a great opportunity to meet the local recreation leaders and discover all the ways to get outside and play in the Valley.
Come explore the future of outdoor recreation in the Mad River Valley!
About the MRV Recreation Hub
The Mad River Valley Recreation Hub offers a one-stop resource center for residents and visitors alike to access trail maps, travel information, and guidance on outdoor activities throughout the Valley. It came about via a partnership with the MRV Chamber of Commerce, Friends of the Mad River, Mad River Path, Mad River Riders, MRV Recreation District and the Town of Waitsfield.

Conservation & Recreation Visioning (CRV) , 2nd Community Forum
2024-05-29 17:00 - 20:00 | Lareau Farm, 48 Lareau Road, Waitsfield, VT, 05673, United States
The MRV Rec District is a key player in the Conservation and Recreation (CRV) project, part of our VOREC grantLauren. We hope you will attend our 2nd Community Forum! We all love to recreate and we all care about a sustainable environmental future. Fifteen local recreation and conservation groups are part of this effort and topics will include:
– CRV background and progress
– presentation from expert consultants Arrowwood Environmental on trails, maps, data layers and ecological features
– an overview of current ecological and recreational attributes in the MRV watershed
– an interactive session for community input.
Date: Wednesday, May 29th
Location: Pavilion at Lareau Farm Inn, Waitsfield
Time: Potluck 5 – 6 pm (bring your own plate and utensils), Cash bar available
Community Forum 6 – 8 pm
Q & A Table: Staffed by CRV Steering Committee members, stop by during the potluck to ask any and ALL CRV questions!
Help us find ways to balance great outdoor recreation opportunities with a healthy ecosystem.

Community Learning Session: Effects of trails on wildlife
2024-02-06 18:00 - 20:00 | Valley Players Theater, 4254 Main Street, Route 100, Waitsfield, VT, 05673, United States
Interested in learning about the effect of trails on wildlife? Join the Mad River Valley Conservation and Recreation Visioning (CRV) Team for our second Community Learning Session! We’ll be gathering on Tuesday, February 6th, from 6 – 8 pm at the Valley Players Theater in Waitsfield to hear from Meredith Naughton, a Wildlife Biologist with the Green Mountain-Finger Lakes National Forest.
Naughton’s primary roles with the NF are to manage and protect sensitive species, and to balance the multiple uses of public land with ecological protection. Her graduate work at UVM’s Field Naturalist Program was a collaboration with Vermont’s Agency of Natural Resources to research the effect of recreational trails on wildlife. She has worked in ecological mapping, on research with a variety of wildlife species, and in trail building.
These Community Learning Sessions are intended to help the Valley community build a shared foundation as we move forward with the work of CRV: developing, through an inclusive process, a set of maps, shared goals, guiding principles, and best practices that together will provide a well-supported vision for balancing ecological integrity with recreation and trails across the Valley. With questions contact Emily Friedman madrivercrv@gmail.com

MRV Conservation and Recreation Visioning Community Forum
2023-06-15 17:00 - 20:00 | Lareau Farm Inn, 46 Lareau Rd., Waitsfield, 05673
Local recreation and conservation groups invite the public to join the Mad River Valley Conservation and Recreation Visioning (CRV) team as members host their first community forum on Thursday, June 15 at the Pavilion at Lareau Farm in Waitsfield. The forum will begin with a potluck at 5 p.m., followed by a meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. Organizers want the public to help find ways to balance a great trail network with a healthy ecosystem. Participants will hear about work to date be asked to share . Save the date. More information to come.
