Our Landscape
South Burlington supports a unique landscape, with the northern portion of the city bounded by the Winooski River, the eastern boundary delineated by Muddy Brook, and the western border abutting Shelburne Bay and Lake Champlain. The city boasts beautiful views of the Adirondacks to the west and the Green Mountains to the east. South Burlington encompasses an area of approximately 10,600 acres to the east and south of the City of Burlington. South Burlington was a part of Burlington from the time of European settlement until 1865, when it became a separate town, now supporting 19,500 residents. The city hosts seven parks with developed recreational facilities, three natural areas, and several additional tracts of conserved land.
Our Natural History
In prehistoric times the land we know as South Burlington lay under an inland sea and later a fresh water body that eventually morphed into Lake Champlain. Pleistocene Era sand dunes remain in the woods east of East Woods. The soils encompass sandy, loamy types and also heavy gravel and clay types which were deposited during the formation of Glacial Lake Vermont and the Champlain Sea. South Burlington is comprised of four major watersheds. Potash and Bartlett brooks, which flow into Shelburne Bay, and Centennial and Muddy brooks, which flow into the Winooski River. There was an extensive Native American presence, including settlements and travel routes, in the entire Lake basin as early as 8000 BCE. Indigenous peoples favored areas near water which, in a variety of forms, rings the current City boundaries. On the land where the UVM Horticultural Farm is located and around Shelburne Pond archaeological remains of these settlements have been found.
Our Ecology
The ecology of South Burlington encompasses varied geology due to the legacy of the inland sea. One-third of the City once had tree canopy. A considerable amount has been lost recently. There are hardwoods, conifers and, unfortunately, thriving populations of invasive species. There are increasing examples of fragmented forest and habitat blocks. The Great Swamp, identified by Arrowwood Environmental as a critical habitat, has just been bisected by a road and residential development. We still host bobcat, white-tailed deer, gray fox, red fox, coyote, fisher, otter, and numerous species of reptiles, amphibians, insect, birds, wildflowers, and fungi, all of which we aspire to protect despite poorly placed development.
