Nearly 50 acres along the Johns River in Derby—a tributary to Lake Memphremagog and nursery stream for wild trout—is now permanently protected and open to the public as part of the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department’s Johns River Streambank Management Area (SMA).

“The Johns River is make-or-break spawning and nursery habitat for Lake Memphremagog’s wild trout,” said Pete Emerson, Fish Biologist with the department. “The lake’s different tributaries attract different spawning runs, landlocked Atlantic salmon in the Clyde for example. Although the Johns River doesn’t have the same name recognition as the Clyde or Willoughby, it’s just as important for wild trout.”

The department partnered with the Memphremagog Watershed Association (MWA) to work with four private landowners to protect properties along the river with high conservation value. On top of their importance for wild brook, brown, and rainbow trout, the new additions to the Johns River SMA will help strengthen flood resilience in Derby and provide Vermonters with more places to enjoy fishing, hiking, and wildlife watching in the watershed.

“These four parcels offer so much opportunity for habitat improvements that benefit both people and trout,” said Patrick Hurly, Project Manager with MWA. “The Johns River cut new channels on some of this land during recent floods and caused some fairly damaging erosion. We’ll work to restore the natural channel and floodplain and build resilience against future storms by planting native trees and replacing undersized culverts. These projects will help reduce runoff and nutrient loading into the lake by phasing out agriculture in the less productive spots while keeping leases with local farmers on dry, upland areas.”

The Johns River SMA expansion comes at a time when river corridor conservation is top of mind for many, after two consecutive years of extreme floods. However, the work to protect this stretch of river and floodplains began earlier. Emerson and Hurley identified the four new SMA parcels in 2020 as part of an effort to pinpoint opportunities to improve wildlife habitat, river resilience and public access in the watershed.

“Looking for places where we can do good for wild trout and rivers while also doing good for Vermonters has been our approach for a long time,” said Emerson. “That said, the last few years have really underscored how important this kind of conservation can be.”