TREE FOUNDATION, a non-profit charitable organization

The VINS Forest Canopy Walk

Vermont Institute of Natural Science - Quechee, Vermont

HEIGHT:

55-100 feet

LENGTH:

900 feet

BUILT:

2019

ENGINEER:

Ted Fellows

DESIGN:

VINS Staff and Architect
Tom Weller (Keene, NH)

CONSTRUCTION:

Trumbull-Nelson Construction Co. and Phoenix Experiential Designs

▸ COMPLETED

Walkway Updates

Vermont Canopy Walkway Installs First Mission Green Plaque

THREAT/OPPORTUNITY

Given the impact of climate change and unpredictable conservation efforts, VINS stands out as a model for visitors to learn, listen, and explore in order to expand the local and regional commitment to preserving the important forests of Vermont and elsewhere. The Canopy Walk is a novel educational exhibit, a significant step forward in VINS’ place-based educational programs.

With onsite education, visitors learn via active engagement with the surrounding environment, immersed in the forest even as they learn about its ecosystems, animals and diverse flora. Visitors are able to tackle the nets of the Spider’s Web, climb to an Eagle’s Nest, peer into an Owl’s Nest, and check out the Tree House, ascending 100 feet above ground to the very tops of the trees.

All segments of the walkway feature interpretive materials to empower and inform guests about the environment and their role in protecting it. A lesson about stewardship can truly take root when it’s learned from a leafy bough a foot away, as birds and squirrels dart among the branches at eye-level.

Most forest experiences are from the ground, searching for the treetops. Very seldom can visitors survey the forest from the canopy, so this presents a unique viewpoint and a exclusive experience really unobtainable in any other way.

GOALS

Create a unique and special experience for visitors to the VINS Nature Center.
Encourage stewardship of the natural world
Grow the number of visitors to VINS
Increase revenue to support the VINS environmental education programs

Vermont: a Biodiversity "Hot Spot"

The (VINS) Forest Canopy Walk is a visually stunning structure providing a unique and powerful outdoor experience while providing a dynamic new perspective on the natural world. It transforms the forest experience where the roof is the sky, the walls are the trees, and the exhibits are alive.

What is a "Hot Spot"?

A “Hot Spot” is a forest habitat of high biodiversity and critical environmental importance. Unfortunately, many of these ecosystems are threatened by habitat destruction, climate change, and other factors. MISSION GREEN believes that these areas could significantly benefit from a canopy walkway conservation program.