The Intervale’s location in the Lower Winooski River Valley floodplain has made it ideal for farming. Frequent flooding over time has created soft, nutrient-rich alluvial soil in which crops thrive. However, these floods are sometimes catastrophic. The Great Vermont Flood of 1927 changed the course of the Winooski River and destroyed bridges, mills, and farms across the Lower Winooski River Valley, causing some Intervale farms to relocate. A similarly devastating flood took place in 2011 following Tropical Storm Irene, damaging as many as 135 acres. Community care has helped many farms recuperate from the effects of flooding, including a few Intervale farms that suffered lost crops following heavy rain on Halloween of 2019. Intervale Community Farm and Digger’s Mirth Collective were able to salvage a significant amount of their fall harvest following the storm by recruiting volunteers on social media.

Natural disasters such as flooding are occurring more frequently due to our changing climate. Intervale Center farms and staff have taken steps to mitigate the effects of flooding and climate change through sustainable land stewardship and agricultural practices. This creates a naturally biodiverse ecosystem that is key to controlling flooding and erosion. Diligent removal of invasive species along the Intervale’s floodplain forest allows native trees and shrubs to thrive, creating a healthy riparian buffer between the Winooski River and Intervale land. The Intervale Center is also taking climate action statewide through the Intervale Conservation Nursery, which grows tens of thousands of native trees and shrubs for restoration projects across Vermont.